ETHNIC AND SEX DIFFERENCES OF FINGERS RIDGE DENSITY BETWEEN TWO MAJOR ETHNICS GROUPS IN CROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA

This study was carried out to determine ethnic and sex differences of finger ridge density between two major ethnic groups in Cross River State, Nigeria. A total of 200 subjects from Ejagham (50 males, 50 females) and Bekwarra (Bekwarra= 50 males, 50 females). The subjects were selected randomly, aged between 18-25 years, both parents are indigenes of Ejagham and Bekwarra ancestry, and those without fingers deformities participated were the recruited subjects. The subjects were asked to clean and dry their hands, indelible ink smear on their thumps and pressed against A4 paper to get the fingerprints. With the aid of a meter rule and pencil, 25mm? each was measured from the upper portion of the radial border, and inferior quadrants respectively for the finger ridge count. The data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 23, Chicago Incorporated. The results of this study showed that both males and females of the Ejagham ethnic group has predominantly whorl and loop pattern respectively, with the whorl having a ratio of male to female 42:34% and loop a ratio of male to female 34:42%. On the contrary, the male and female Bekwarra ethnic group also have predominantly whorl and loop print pattern respectively, with the whorl having a ratio of male to female 28:32% and the Loop a ratio of male to female 40:40% respectively. This result shows that for the Ejagham ethnic group Females has the highest loop while for the Bekwarra both their males and females have same value of loop. Frequency distribution of the right radial ridge density counts of Ejagham and Bekwarra are statically significant different (P