Digito-Palmar Dermatoglyphic Patterns among Natives of Irruan in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State Nigeria

Background and Objective: The uniqueness of digital-palmar dermatoglyphics patterns has made it possible for anthropological studies on ethnic differences and heritability among individuals. It has been widely studied, varying across different ethnic populations. This present study investigated the digito-palmar dermatoglyphic patterns among natives from the Irruan Clan, Boki. Materials and Methods: A total of 52 natives, were recruited and their prints were collected by conventional ink method, read using a hand magnifying lens. Analyses were performed using descriptive statistics, student t-test, chi-squared Test and significant set at 5%. Results: The loop, whorl, arch and compound distribution of fingerprint patterns were 40.4, 26.9, 19.2 and 13.5%, respectively. The frequency of loop patterns in males and females is 25% (13) and 15.4% (8), respectively. The mean total ridges count in the male’s right hand and left hand were 91.6±8.3 and 90.6±6.7, respectively. The ATD angle of the male right hand and female right hand were 53.1±1.2 and 50.4±1.7, respectively. There were significant differences in the distribution of ATD angles among males and females. Conclusion: The dermatoglyphics patterns of selected natives of the Irruan clan. However, this study has provided baseline information for further anthropological studies.