Evaluating the potential application of palmprint creases density for sex determination: an exploratory study

Abstract

Abstract Background Identification of sex plays a vital role in forensic and medicolegal investigations. Although several studies were conducted in the past to assess sexual dimorphism in friction ridge skin characteristics, a similar study has not been attempted using creases characteristics. The present study was carried out to determine the sex differences based on creases density among the Malaysian population. A novel method was proposed by measuring creases density in 2 cm × 2 cm square at the hypothenar region on the right palmprints to evaluate its feasibility for sex discrimination purposes. A total of 150 subjects were investigated in this study. Results Results revealed that significant differences were observed in the creases density for males and females. Palmprint mean creases density of 3.46 creases/cm2 and 5.73 creases/cm2 were calculated in male and female subjects, respectively. Results indicated that females tended to have a significantly higher creases density than males in the selected region. Analysis using the independent sample t-test demonstrated that the creases density of males and females was significantly different (p < 0.001), with mean differences ranging between −2.90 and −1.65. Conclusions It is evident that palmprint creases density is a potential indicator for sex determination.