DERMATOGLYPHICS PATTERN STUDY AMONGST SOUTHERN NIGERIAN STUDENTS DOMICILED IN YALA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF CROSS RIVER STATE.

This study assesses the different finger print pattern among South-south Nigerian Students in Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State. A total of 196 subjects were taken individually within the age range of years -28 years, after seeking consent from each subject orally, a hand wipe was given so they can clean their hands and allow it to dry. The subjects were then further instructed to place their hand on the ink pad in order to stain the hand with ink. An A4 paper would then be provided to which the hand impression will be left on, these different fingerprints were analyzed statistically, the results show a prevalence of the Whorl pattern in Thumb FA (42.3%) and FB (35.7%), conversely, the Loop pattern was slightly more frequent in Thumb FB (45.4%), compared to Thumb FA (41.3%). The Arch pattern was the least common in both cases, accounting for 16.3% in Thumb FA and .9% in Thumb FB, the Whorl pattern was more frequent in Index FA (43.4%), while the Loop pattern dominated Index FB (41.8%). The Arch pattern remained consistent, representing a smaller proportion in both FA (25%) and FB (26%), The Loop pattern was predominant in Middle FA (71.9%) and FB (57.1%), The Whorl pattern, while less frequent in Middle FA (19.4%) and FB (26%), shows that variations in fingerprint patterns exist even within the same individual, highlighting the uniqueness of dermatoglyphic traits. The Loop pattern was again predominant in Ring FA (53.6%) and FB (63.3%), The Whorl pattern accounted for 38.3% in Ring FA and 27% in Ring FB, The Loop pattern was overwhelmingly predominant in the pinky fingers (82.7%), with Whorl representing 10.7% and Arch 5.1%. This distribution suggests that the Loop pattern is highly conserved in the pinky finger, across both ethnic and geographic boundaries. This study concludes that the Loop and Whorl fingerprint patterns are the most prevalent among south-south students in Yala LGA, Cross River State, with the Arch pattern being the least frequent.