Digital Dermatoglyphic Minutiae Patterns and Gross Motor Coordination Performance Among Undergraduate Students in a Nigerian Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Background: Fingerprint minutiae — chiefly ridge terminations and bifurcations — have been proposed as candidate markers of psychomotor performance, but evidence for such an association remains limited, particularly in African populations. This study examined the distribution of digital minutiae across finger quadrants in relation to performance on a standardized rope-skipping task, used as a simple index of gross motor coordination. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 60 third-year undergraduate students (24 male, 36 female; age range 17–24 years) in the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ikenne, Nigeria. Ethical approval and informed consent were obtained. Fingerprints of the left and right middle and little fingers were collected using the ink method and examined under x100 magnification. Each print was divided into four quadrants (superior ulnar, inferior ulnar, superior radial, inferior radial) and minutiae type frequencies recorded. Motor performance was assessed with a 10-second rope-skipping task and graded as above-average, average, or below-average. Data were analysed by one-way ANOVA (GraphPad Prism v7.03), α = 0.05. Results: Ulnar loop was the predominant overall fingerprint pattern (54.3%), followed by plain arch (12.8%) and spiral whorl (9.2%). Bifurcation-type minutiae were consistently more frequent than terminations across all four fingers examined (44.9–70.1% vs. 11.9–33.6% by quadrant), with clockwise bifurcation predominating in superior-ulnar quadrants and anticlockwise bifurcation in radial quadrants. Minutiae-type distribution differed significantly across quadrants for all four fingers examined (p<0.05). Distribution of minutiae and pattern types across the three motor-performance bands did not reach statistical significance (p=0.999). Conclusion: Minutiae distribution followed a consistent, quadrant-specific pattern across the fingers studied, but showed no significant association with rope-skipping performance in this sample. Larger, multi-site studies using validated motor-performance batteries are needed before dermatoglyphic markers can be considered for motor-performance or talent screening.