Qualitative Analysis of the Right Plantar Dermatoglyphic Configurations in Himachal Pradesh: A Dimorphic Study

Introduction: Dermatoglyphics is defined as the study of the configurations on the plantar aspect of the feet and the palmar aspect of the hands. It is a well established fact that these epidermal configurations are distinct for each and every individual.

Aim: To study and analyse the plantar dermatoglyphic patterns on the right sole of the individuals of Himachal Pradesh and to know its implication in gender determination.

Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Anatomy, Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda, Punjab, India, and the data was collected over a period of one year (May 2021 to May 2022). The sole dermatoglyphic prints of 400 individuals (200 males and 200 females) of the age group 18-45 years without any known medical conditions were analysed for the dermatoglyphic patterns visualised in the Hallucal/Thenar/First Interdigital Area (Rt Th/H/ID1), Second Interdigital Area (Rt ID2), Third Interdigital Area (Rt ID3), Fouth Interdigital Area (Rt ID4), Hypothenar Distal Area (Rt HTD), Hypothenar Proximal Area (Rt HTP) and the Calcar Area (Rt C) of the right sole. The findings thus obtained were then subjected to Chi-square test using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 software.

Results: The mean age of the subjects included in the study was 29±4 years and 16±7 years for 200 Himachali males and 200 Himachali females, respectively. The study showed that there was indeed an association between the right plantar dermatoglyphic patterns and the sex of the people belonging to Himachal Pradesh, India. The results suggest that the distribution of the dermatoglyphic patterns on Rt Th/H/ID1 of the females was significantly different from the males (p-value <0.05). On the Rt ID2, Rt ID3 and Rt ID4, the differences observed between the females and males were highly significant (p-value <0.001) whereas on the Rt HTD, Rt HTP and the Rt C, all the males and females depicted a lack of pattern.

Conclusion: The results of this investigation suggest that there exist some significant differences between the male and female subjects of Himachali population. The plantar dermatoglyphic patterns could therefore be utilised as an important tool to determine the gender of an individual in forensic and medico-legal aspects as well as to determine the relationship of an individual to an ethnic group based in different geographical areas.