USE OF HAND AND ITS CORRESPONDING PRINT DIMENSIONS IN STATURE ESTIMATION.

Abstract

Background: Personal identification is one of the most important challenges that may face forensic scientists, especially in cases of incomplete, mutilated or even fragmented remains. Stature is one of the primary identification parameters. Previous studies were performed to estimate stature from hand and its corresponding print dimensions using different regression models. These studies highlight the importance of the presence of population-specific standards. The current study aims to develop predictive regression equations that could be used for stature estimation using anthropometric hands and their corresponding print dimensions. One hundred and fifty adult participants were enrolled in the study (75 male & 75 female). Statures were measured, and seven dimensions of each hand and its corresponding print were also measured for each participant . Results: All measurements of the male group were significantly higher. Bilateral significant differences were found in some hands and their corresponding print dimensions in both sexes. According to Karl Pearson's correlation coefficient, all measurements were significantly correlated to stature; "right-hand length" showed the strongest correlation with stature in both sexes, while "right handprint length" in females and "left handprint length" in males showed the strongest correlation with stature. Simple linear regression analysis showed that both hand and handprint lengths in both sides for both sexes had the lowest standard error of estimate, ensuring their lowest prediction error in stature estimation. Conclusion: hand and its corresponding print dimensions can be used in adult stature estimation. Further studies of people of other geographical regions in Egypt are recommended to get a biological-specific Egyptian standard.