Fingerprint pattern similarity: a family-based study using novel classification

Objectives: Establishing that certain traits are inherited can be assessed from the extent of morphological similarity of the offspring and their parents. This study, evaluated the pattern similarity of the fingerprint of offspring to that of their parents using a novel classification. Methods: Fifty families (comprising of father, mother and a child) without ethnic considerations were recruited and digital fingerprints were obtained. The fingerprints; arch (A), loop (L), and whorl (W) were identified and a novel classification (A, L, W, AL, AW, and LW) for heredity study as described by Aigbogun et al.(2018) was adopted. Chi-square analysis was used to test distribution differences, while a pedigree tree was designed for the offspring’s similarity to the parents. Results: In this study, loop (L) was consistently predominant both as single (>60%) and combined distribution (>75%), followed by whorl ( 0.05). From the pedigree tree, the possibility that the offspring displayed patterns similar to that of the parental combinations was 84% for the thumb, 76% for the index finger, 84% for the middle finger, 88% for the ring finger, and 92% for the little finger. Conclusion: Morphological evidence from this study suggests that fingerprints are more genetically determined than environmentally influenced; however, the pattern in which they are inherited seemed closer to co-recessivity with complex expressivity.