Background & Objectives: Fingerprint (dermatoglyphic) evidence is undoubtedly the most reliable and acceptable evidence till date in the court of law. Due to the immense potential of fingerprint as an effective method of identification an attempt has been made in the present work to analyse their correlation with gender of an individual. This study was done to determine significant differences in palmar dermatoglyphic parameters between males and females. Methods: Residents of Nijalingappa colony of  Raichur in Karnataka were the source of this study. 50 adult healthy males in the age group of 20 to 40 years and 50 adult healthy females of same age group were the subjects for this study. Sample collection was done by doing home visits and collecting palmar impression. Fingerprint pattern of all of them was recorded using duplicating ink. The prints were then subjected to dermatoglyphic analysis. Results: The Total Finger Ridge Count (TFRC) was significantly more in males compared to females. Females had significantly higher a-b ridge counts than males. There were no significant differences in the other parameters between males and females. Interpretation & Conclusion:  The gender differences in the dermatoglyphic patterns of palms are established by this study. This information is useful in forensic studies in identifying gender of a person.

Keywords: Dermatoglyphics; Hand; Fingers; Male; Female; Forensic Medicine.