Evidence of sexual dimorphism in Fingerprint patterns of Children with Learning Disability

Background: Fingerprints are unique, permanent impressions on the finger, which is genetically determined at birth. Fingerprint pattern is an infallible means of personal bio identification and could be a predictive marker for several congenital disorders. The relationship between learning disability (LD) and fingerprint pattern is yet to be established. Objectives: This study compared the fingerprint patterns between students with LD and Non-LD students with a sexual dimorphic lens. Materials and Methods: 300 students (150 LD students and 150 non-LD students), aged between 3-25 years were recruited for this descriptive cross-sectional study. Each study group consisted of 75 males and 75 females. The different fingerprint patterns (arch, whorl, ulnar loop, and radial loop), as well as the following ridge counts: total finger ridge count (TFRC), absolute ridge count (ARC), ulnar ridge count (URC), and radial ridge count (RRC) were accessed using a digital scanner and a fingerprint reader. Results: Students with LD showed a higher frequency of whorl (32.87%), while non-LD students showed a higher occurrence of the ulnar loop (32.53%). TFRC, ARC, and URC were significantly higher in females with LD than non-LD females (p=0.01, 0.03, and 0.00, respectively). In contrast, males with LD showed significantly lower TFRC, RRC, and URC count than the non-LD males (p=0.02, 0.01, and 0.00, respectively). Conclusion: Fingerprints pattern and fingerprint ridge counts showed sexual dimorphism in LD and non-LD students. The finger ridge count is amplified in subjects with LD and could be a good predictive tool for LD.