The Distribution of Curvature of Little Finger (Clinodactyly) among the Idoma People of Benue State, Nigeria

Background: A bilateral malformation known as Clinodactyly, or curvature of the little finger in the radio-ulnar plane, causes the finger to be stunted and curved, or inclined, towards the ring finger. It is known to be a morphogenetic trait. Reports say that Clinodactyly seems to be passed on by a single autosomal dominant gene. There is paucity of information on curvature of the little finger in the Idoma tribe of Benue State, Nigeria; hence, this study was aimed at determining the distribution of curvature of the little finger in the study population. Materials and Methods: The study was descriptive and cross-sectional in design with 401 participants recruited randomly following a multi-staged sampling method. Results and Discussion: The most frequent socio-demographic characteristics were age category 33-47yrs with 213(53.1%), male gender with 223(55.6%), Tertiary education with 239(59.6%), Married/Co-habiting 220(54.9%), and Christianity 286(71.3%). The significant socio-demographic characteristic among participants were educational level (X2 =14.090, p=0.003) and marital status (X2 =10.901, p=0.05). The proportion of participants with a curved little finger was 18.9%. In the population a large portion of them had straight little finger. Conclusion(s): The proportion of participants with a curved little finger was 18.9%. In the population a large portion of them had straight little finger. The study showed that less than a third of the sampled population had a curved little finger and the remaining two-third a straight little finger. The ratio of curved to straight little finger was 1:4.