NCJ Number
201542
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 48 Issue: 4 Dated: July 2003 Pages: 708-712
Date Published
July 2003
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether popular formulae for estimating stature using tibia length were appropriate for estimating stature in the Turkish population.
Abstract
Stature estimation based on human skeletal remains is an important aspect of forensic science. Recent studies of morphological differences between populations have led to the assumption that population-specific formulae are called for to make accurate stature estimations. In order to test this assumption, the authors compared the accuracy of the formulae designed specifically to estimate stature in the Turkish population to the accuracy of formulae designed for other populations. Accuracy of the formulae was evaluated for groups of short, medium, and tall persons. The test population included 110 Turkish male adults; authors compared estimated height with the true height in each case. Results indicated that the formula designed for Mongoloids was most accurate for estimating stature in the study group as a whole. The next most accurate formulae were the formula designed for the Turkish population and the general formula for all populations. The authors also discovered that the stature-group-specific formula, in which participants were grouped according to short, medium, and tall statures, was the most accurate of all the formulae for subjects who exhibited extremes in stature. The authors thus conclude that stature-group-specific formulae are the most reliable for estimating stature in forensic cases. References