Sexual dimorphism in finger papillary dermatoglyphic patterns for individuals from South Bulgaria

Abstract

The aim of the study is to make a whole morphologic characteristic and to assess the quantitative and qualitative patterns of finger images and sexual dimorphism among individuals from South Bulgaria. We studied a set of dermatoglyphics of 229 subjects from South Bulgaria (69 males, 160 females), clinically healthy, without ties of kinship to one another, aged 18 to 30 years. Rolled fingerprints were obtained by the ink method. Papillary patterns were classified into four main types. The data were analyzed with statistical software. We found pronounced gender differences in the quantitative and qualitative fingerprint patterns. Males have higher values of ridge number and also of Furuhata and Cummins’s indices, while in females the higher values are in Poll and Dankmeijer’s indices. The existence of gender-dependent expression of fluctuating asymmetry shows a tendency for a more pronounced asymmetry in males, gender related peculiarities in the course of the embryonic period.