Gutiérrez-Redomero Esperanza, Rivaldería Noemí, Alonso-Rodríguez Concepción, Sánchez-Andrés Ángeles
Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Facultad de Biología, CC Ambientales y Química, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares. Spain; Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Policiales, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain.
Departamento de Física y Matemáticas, Facultad de Biología, CC Ambientales y Química, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain; Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Policiales, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain.
Sci Justice. 2014 May;54(3):199-207. doi: 10.1016/j.scijus.2013.11.004. Epub 2013 Dec 19.
In recent times, some studies have explored the forensic application of dermatoglyphic traits such as the epidermal ridge breadth or ridge density (RD) toward the inference of sex and population from fingerprints of unknown origin, as it has been demonstrated that there exist significant differences of fingerprints between sexes and between populations. Part of the population differences found between these studies could be of methodological nature, due both to the lack of standardisation in the position of the counting area, as well as to the differences in the method used for obtaining the fingerprint. Therefore, the aim of this study was to check whether there are differences between the RD of fingerprints depending on where the counting area is placed and how the fingerprints are obtained. Fingerprints of each finger were obtained from 102 adult Spanish subjects (50 females and 52 males), using two methods (plain and rolled). The ridge density of each fingerprint was assessed in five different areas of the dactylogram: two closer to the core area (one on the radial and the other on the ulnar side), two closer to the outermost area of each of the sides (radial and ulnar), and another one in the proximal region of the fingertip. Regardless of the method used and of the position of the counting area, thumbs and forefingers show a higher RD than middle, ring, and little fingers in both sexes, and females present a higher RD than males in all areas and fingers. In both males and females, RD values on the core region are higher than those on the outer region, irrespective of the technique of fingerprinting used (rolled or plain). Regardless of the sex and location of the count area (core or outer), the rolled fingerprints exhibit RD greater than that of the plain ones in both radial and proximal areas, whereas the trend is inverted in the ulnar area, where rolled fingerprints demonstrate RD lesser than that of the plain ones. Therefore, in order for the results of different studies to be comparable, it is necessary to standardise the position of the count area and to use the same method of obtaining the fingerprint, especially when involving a forensic application.
近年来，一些研究探索了皮纹特征（如表皮嵴宽度或嵴密度（RD））在法医学中的应用，以从未知来源的指纹推断性别和人群，因为已经证明不同性别和不同人群之间的指纹存在显著差异。这些研究中发现的部分人群差异可能是方法学性质的，这既是由于计数区域位置缺乏标准化，也是由于获取指纹所使用的方法存在差异。因此，本研究的目的是检查根据计数区域的位置和指纹的获取方式，指纹的RD是否存在差异。使用两种方法（平面和滚动）从102名成年西班牙受试者（50名女性和52名男性）获取每个手指的指纹。在指纹图谱的五个不同区域评估每个指纹的嵴密度：两个靠近核心区域（一个在桡侧，另一个在尺侧），两个靠近每一侧（桡侧和尺侧）的最外侧区域，以及另一个在指尖的近端区域。无论使用何种方法和计数区域的位置，在两性中，拇指和食指的RD均高于中指、无名指和小指，并且在所有区域和手指中女性的RD均高于男性。在男性和女性中，无论使用何种指纹采集技术（滚动或平面），核心区域的RD值均高于外侧区域。无论计数区域的性别和位置（核心或外侧），在桡侧和近端区域，滚动指纹的RD均大于平面指纹，而在尺侧区域趋势相反，滚动指纹的RD小于平面指纹。因此，为了使不同研究的结果具有可比性，有必要标准化计数区域的位置并使用相同的指纹获取方法，尤其是在涉及法医学应用时。
