Sexual Dimorphism in toe impression among Bidayuhs of Malaysian Borneo for Crime Scene Application

Abstract

Background and aim: Impression evidence found in crime scenes are used for identification. Like finger impression, foot and toe impressions are currently considered as valuable clue used for gender identity. This study investigates the relationship between gender and toe print ridge density in the Bidayuh population in Malaysian Borneo so that the findings may be applied in real crime scenes.Materials and method: The sample collection was conducted at Sarawak state, Malaysian Borneo and recruited consented 100 males and 100 females of Bidayuh population, considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The toe impressions were collected by inking technique, following the standard procedure and five areas in five left toes and five right toes (great toe, second toe, third toe, fourth toe and little toe) were designated for analysis from each foot of the participant. The samples were analysed and calculated the toe impression ridge density using a standard magnifier. The findings were presented in the form of tables and graphs.Results: The result shows that the ridge density of females was found to be comparatively higher than males in all five toes on both sides. The ridge density on the left toes is not the mirror image of the right toes in both genders. Thus suitable densities show bilateral asymmetry. The statistical analysis shows that maximum sex differences observed in the third toe on the right (t value 7.77) and left (t value 9.473) side of this study population.Conclusion: The study concluded that ridge density in toe impression on the Bidayuh population provided helpful information on gender determination. Even the presence of a single toe impression is sufficient for crime scene application.