Investigation and analysis of hand characteristics of Chinese Han youth in Shandong province: A cross-sectional study

Dermatoglyphics are distinct patterns that appear on the skin and can serve as individual identification data. They are also associated with diseases and can offer relevant insights into an individual's health, but limited data are available for many populations around the globe. Hence, this study investigated the dermatoglyphics of contemporary Han Chinese college students in Shandong and explored sex differences in these traits. Fingerprint types were analyzed through magnified observation. Parameters such as a-b ridge counts (a-bRC) and atd angle were recorded. By employing direct observation, external features like distal finger-extent pattern comparison of the index finger, thumb types, and handedness were recorded. Among the 850 participants, distinct fingerprint differences between males and females were observed on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th fingers. The atd angles for males were 37.78 ± 3.83° and 37.69 ± 3.67° for the left and right hands, respectively. In females, the angles were 37.43 ± 4.08° and 37.10 ± 4.45°, respectively. The lateral diameters of the fingernails of each digit were larger in males than in females. There were also variations in a-bRC and a higher frequency of longer ring fingers in males. Shandong Han Chinese college students exhibit sex differences in the dermatoglyphics, the dimensions of the 2nd to 4th fingernails, atd angles, a-bRC, and the distal finger-extent pattern of the ring finger.