Fingerprint Angles and Patterns in the Population of Najaf Province

The values of fingerprint angles were studied in 57 females and 44 males from Najaf province in the middle of Iraq. Some results of this sample were compared with the results of Southern provinces sample from Iraqi population. The results revealed that the mean of maximum fingerprint angle (MFA) and also the mean of absolute fingerprint angle (AFA) between samples in the studied provinces did not differ significantly. However, the unilateral analysis revealed only one significant difference in L5 of the male samples (t=2.89, PO.Ol), while the bilateral analysis revealed two significant differences, which occurred in R1 and R3 of the right hand. As for the comparison between sexes of the sample in Najaf province, the unilateral analysis revealed a significant difference in 1.5, but there wasn t a significant difference in (MFA). The bilateral analysis of Southern provinces sample showed significant differences in R1 and R3 as well as in (AFA). The frequency distribution for (MFA) and (AFA) reveals that the males of Najaf sample have a narrow range in these two variables in comparison with the males of Southern provinces sample, whilst the female sample of Najaf province has a narrow range for (AFA) values only. Latter, a positive relationship was found between Pattern Intensity Index (Pli), percentage of whorls and the AFA values. This study shed the light on the importance of digital fingerprint angle values when analyzed at the level of separate fingers in detecting genetic variation between samples and sexes, but not at the level of summation the values of all fingers together.