Sexual dimorphism from toe prints among Malaysian Malays for person identification

Abstract

Background: The aim of any forensic investigator is to identify the individual, both dead and alive through physical evidence found at crime scenes. Sex determination is the first step in this process that leads to identification. Foot and toe prints form a valuable clue for person for person identification. The soles of the feet are showing characteristics and a toe print is an impression of the friction ridges of toe. Objective: The present study was aimed to investigate the sexual dimorphism from two-dimensional (2D) toe prints among Malaysian Malays for person identification during crime scene investigation. Material and Methods: The study involved 200 adult Malays, a dominant ethnic group born and living in Malaysia. Out of 200 study subjects, 100 were males and 100 were females with age ranged from 18 to 60 years. By inking technique, 2D toe prints were collected and ridge density was calculated from the designated 5 mm × 5 mm square area of each toe print for all toes of all subjects. Ridge density refers to the number of friction ridge in particular demarcated areas. Result: The ridge density for all toes was found to be significantly higher in females than males in both sides except great toes. The correlation coefficient (r) values between fourth toe and little are found to be higher on both left (0.518) and right (0.556) sides. Conclusion: Ridge density shows forensic significance for sexual dimorphism among Malaysian Malays and ethnicity should be considered whenever conducting anthropological study on gender determination.

Keywords

• forensic anthropology
• sexual dimorphism
• toe print
• ridge density
• malaysian malays