Adermatoglyphia: Barriers to Biometric Identification and the Need for a Standardized Alternative

Abstract

Arguably, fingerprinting is the single most widely utilized method for individual identification and authentication (I&A). Dermatoglyphics form a vital portion of mass data collection, biometric scrutiny, and verification. Adermatoglyphia, or simply, loss of fingerprints attributed to a medical cause, represents a taxing situation for such biometric scrutiny systems requiring a fingerprint scan as a mandatory phase in I&A procedure. The scenario can be extremely debilitating for the adermatoglyphia patients, especially when the condition is permanent or irreversible. This article reviews different causes of adermatoglyphia, the challenge it poses to biometric identification, and the potential substitute modalities for fingerprinting technology. These modalities can function as a backup program for biometric surveillance in both medical and non-medical settings under circumstances when the fingerprinting method fails to comply.

Keywords: adermatoglyphia; biometrics; finger printing; identification and authentication; loss of fingerprints.

Figure 1. Acquired idiopathic adermatoglyphia in a 59-year-old female patient showing fingers of both hands

This woman visited the dermatology department in July 2016 for medical evaluation. She realized the loss of her fingerprints when she was unable to renew her national identity card, requiring her to be ten-printed (i.e., all fingers and thumbs of both hands were scanned/printed). Except for hypertension well-controlled with medication, her past medical history, physical exam, and laboratory reports failed to identify any probable cause of her findings. A detailed physical exam revealed marked effacement of ridges, involving fingers of both hands (Image courtesy of Dermatology Department, Mayo hospital, Lahore).

Figure 2. Geriatric atrophy of epidermal ridges in a 66-year-old male patient showing thumbs of both hands

This patient presented in November 2017 to obtain a medical certificate to access his bank account. The bank accounts were being biometrically verified, and repeated attempts to scan his fingertips failed to record any discernible pattern. Note the atrophy of epidermal ridges around the center of digital pulp with fissuring “black arrow” along with the formation of transverse creases “arrowhead” (Image courtesy of Dermatology Department, Mayo hospital, Lahore).

Figure 3. Biometric sub-types

Classification is based on physiological and behavioral traits [14-15]