Morphological and Metric Identification of Earprint between Sexes

The observable morphological features of the outer ear are used in criminal investigations. An ear print is a two-dimensional replica of the parts of the outer ear (such as the helix, antihelix, tragus, and antitragus) that contact the surface and create pressure. It is often found in burglary cases (breaking into the home or workplace). Although the unique structure of the ear and its usefulness in identification has been recognised by researchers, there are very few studies in which its uniqueness is stated with certainty. There is no numerically precise data on which these studies are based. As the number of sources in the literature is limited and does not provide the expected results with certainty, this study aims to fill this gap in the relevant literature. In the study, the ear prints of the subjects were taken by a printing method, digitised, and analysed from a forensic point of view. The individual-specific structure of the external ear morphology was analysed based on observational and metric measurements, and a reliable database was presented for future studies.