How reliable is stature estimation by dental means? Systematic review and meta-analysis

Dental measurements have been proposed as parameters for stature estimation for at least 85 years. The scientific literature on the topic, however, is controversial regarding the performance of the method. This systematic literature review of observational cross-sectional studies aimed to compile evidence to support decisions in the forensic practice regarding the use of dental measurements for stature estimation. Embase, LILACS, MedLine (via PubMed), SciELO, Scopus, Web of Science, DansEasy and Open Access Thesis and Dissertations (OATD) were searched. Data regarding the rate of correct stature classifications were extracted. A meta-analysis with a Random Intercept Logistic Regression model and a Logit Transformation was conducted. The search led to 10.803 entries, out of which 15 were considered eligible (n = 1486 individuals). The studies were published between 1990 and 2020 and were authored by South American (n = 7) and Asian (n = 8) research teams. Dental measurements were predominantly (93.34 %) performed on dental casts or via intraoral inspection. The overall rate of correct classifications based on stature was 68 %. Excluding outliers, the overall accuracy of the method decreased to 64 % (95 %CI: 54-73 %). Significant heterogeneity was detected (I² = 72.4 %, τ2 = 0.24, H = 1.91, p < 0.001). Egger's test (p = 0.94) and the funnel plot did not reveal publication bias. Dental measurements are not reliable for stature estimation in the forensic field.

The Human Bone Collection of the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Hong Kong: History and description of cranial and postcranial skeletal remains

OBJECTIVES

The present work describes the status and contents of The Human Bone Collection of the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Hong Kong.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Collection originates from the 1980s and became officially established in 2017 for teaching and research purposes. Most of the Collection consists of unclaimed human remains of southern Chinese individuals exhumed from local cemeteries and donated to the Faculty in the last few decades. The demographic information was provided largely from burial records and forensic estimations. Since 2016, the Collection has undergone a process of reorganization into cranial and postcranial remains, followed by preservation procedures that included cleaning and classification.

RESULTS

The Collection currently consists of remains belonging to about 368 individuals (243 males, 54 females, 71 unknown), with ages ranging from 0.8 to 90 years (mean 57.4 years). It comprises cranial remains belonging to 260 individuals (169 males, 39 females, 52 unknown), and postcranial remains belonging to 248 individuals (180 males, 42 females, 26 unknown). The preservation status ranges from poor to good, with the cranial remains better preserved than the postcranial elements. For a large number of individuals, ear ossicles, soil samples, and other materials are also available.

DISCUSSION

The Collection is accessible to local and international institutions for teaching and research.

Updated lower limb stature estimation equations for a South African population group

One of the main steps in the identification of an unknown person, from their skeletal remains, is the estimation of stature. Measurements of intact long bones of the upper and lower extremities are widely used for this purpose because of the high correlation that exists between these bones and stature. In 1987, Lundy and Feldesman presented regression equations for stature estimation for the black South African population group based on measurements of bones from the Raymond A. Dart Collection of Human Skeletons. Local anthropologists have questioned the validity of these equations. Living stature measurement and magnetic resonance imaging scanograms of 58 adult volunteers (28 males and 30 females) representing the modern black South African population group were obtained. Physiological length of the femur (FEPL) and physiological length of the tibia (TPL) were measured on each scanogram and substituted into appropriate equations of Lundy and Feldesman (S Afr J Sci. 1987;83:54–55) to obtain total skeletal height (TSHL&F). Measured total skeletal height (TSHMeas) for each subject from scanograms was compared with TSHL&F. Both FEPL and TPL presented with significantly high positive correlations with TSHMeas. A comparison between TSHL&F and TSHMeas using a paired t-test, showed a statistically significant difference – an indication of non-validity of Lundy and Feldesman’s equations. New regression equations for estimation of living stature were formulated separately for male and female subjects. The standard error of estimate was low, which compared well with those reported for other studies that used long limb bones. Significance: • Statistically significant differences were observed between measured and estimated skeletal height, thus confirming non-validity of Lundy and Fieldsman’s (1987) equations for lower limb bones. • New regression equations for living stature estimation were formulated for femur and tibia lengths, and the low standard error of estimates of equations compared well to results from other studies.

Child development, physiological stress and survival expectancy in prehistoric fisher-hunter-gatherers from the Jabuticabeira II shell mound, South Coast of Brazil

In this study, we shed light on the interdependency of child growth, morbidity and life expectancy in the fisher-hunter-gatherers of the Jabuticabeira II shell mound (1214-830 cal B.C.E. - 118-413 cal C.E.) located at the South Coast of Brazil. We test the underlying causes of heterogeneity in frailty and selective mortality in a population that inhabits a plentiful environment in sedentary settlements. We reconstruct osteobiographies of 41 individuals (23 adults and 18 subadults) using 8 variables, including age-at-death, stature, non-specific stress markers (cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, periosteal reactions, periapical lesions and linear enamel hypoplasia), as well as weaning patterns based on stable isotope data to examine how stress factors module growth and survival. Our results show that shorter adult statures were linked to higher morbidity around weaning age and higher chances of dying earlier (before 35 years) than taller adult statures. In addition, short juvenile stature was related to physiological stressors and mortality. The adult "survivors" experienced recurrent periods of morbidity during childhood and adulthood, possibly associated with the high parasite load of the ecosystem and dense settlement rather than to malnourishment. An association between early-stress exposure and premature death was not demonstrated in our sample. To explain our data, we propose a new model called "intermittent stress of low lethality". According to this model, individuals are exposed to recurrent stress during the juvenile and adult stages of life, and, nevertheless survive until reproductive age or later with relative success.

Estimation equations for the height of Colombian elders using knee height

Introducción.

La estatura en el anciano no refleja su talla real de adulto joven debido al envejecimiento de su columna vertebral, entre otros aspectos.

Objetivo.

Proponer ecuaciones para estimar la talla de los ancianos colombianos mediante la altura de la rodilla, según el grupo étnico y el sexo.

Materiales y métodos.

Se hizo un análisis secundario del estudio transversal SABE 2015, utilizando un diseño muestral probabilístico y multietápico en personas colombianas de 60 o más años. Se seleccionaron aleatoriamente dos grupos de la base de datos del estudio SABE: el grupo para el desarrollo de las ecuaciones y el grupo para su validación. Se hizo un análisis de regresión lineal múltiple para estimar la estatura mediante la altura de la rodilla en los grupos étnicos (indígenas, afrodescendientes y blancos-mestizos) por edad y sexo; los resultados se validaron en cada subgrupo de estudio.

Resultados.

Se diseñaron seis ecuaciones por sexo (hombres=3.665, mujeres=3.019) y etnia; los coeficientes de determinación ajustados (R2 ) de las ecuaciones en hombres de los tres grupos étnicos oscilaron entre 64 y 75 % y, los errores estándar, entre 3,09 y 3,93 cm. En las mujeres, los R2 de las tres ecuaciones fluctuaron entre 53 y 73 % y los EE, entre 2,96 y 3,90 cm.

Conclusión.

La ecuación con mejor capacidad para estimar la talla del anciano colombiano fue la obtenida para los afrodescendientes de ambos sexos, en tanto que en la población indígena se presentaron los menores coeficientes de determinación.

Stature estimation in a contemporary Japanese population based on clavicular measurements using multidetector computed tomography

The aims of this study was to assess the correlation between stature and clavicular measurements in a contemporary Japanese population using three-dimensional (3D) computed tomographic (CT) images, and to establish regression equations for predicting stature. A total of 249 cadavers (131 males, 118 females) underwent postmortem CT scanning and subsequent forensic autopsy between October 2011 and May 2016 in our department. Four clavicular variables (linear distances between the superior margins of the left and right sternal facets to the anterior points of the left and right acromial ends and between the superior margins of the left and right sternal facets to the left and right conoid tubercles) were measured using 3D CT reconstructed images that extracted only bone data. The correlations between stature and each of the clavicular measurements were assessed with Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients. These clavicular measurements correlated significantly with stature in both sexes. The lowest standard error of estimation value in all, male, and female subjects was 3.62cm (r²=0.836), 3.55cm (r²=0.566), and 3.43cm (r²=0.663), respectively. In conclusion, clavicular measurements obtained from 3D CT images may be useful for stature estimation of Japanese individuals, particularly in cases where better predictors, such as long bones, are not available.

Stature estimation from the femur and tibia in Black South African sub-adults

Stature estimation can play a role in the positive identification of unknown individuals and as such it is routinely assessed during the examination of adult remains. Unfortunately, this is not a standard procedure when dealing with sub-adult remains due to the general lack of standard procedures for the estimation of sub-adult stature. The aim of this study was therefore to derive regression equations for the estimation of stature in black South African sub-adults. Fifty nine black South African sub-adult males and females, aged 10-17 years, voluntarily participated in the study by undergoing a full body Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan. Living stature was measured with a stadiometer and the maximum and diaphyseal lengths of the femur and tibia were measured from the MRI scans using the image processing software OsiriX. Pearson's correlation coefficients and linear least square regression analyses were used to assess the correlations between living stature and the measurements and to generate sub-adult stature estimation equations for males, females and a combined sex sample. Measurements of the femur, tibia and the combined measures thereof showed strong statistically significant positive correlations with living stature, while the obtained regression equations were characterized by low standard error of estimates. The strong correlations and low standard error of estimates are comparable to stature estimation models reported for Black South African adults and therefore these variables can be considered good estimators of sub-adult stature which will contribute valuable information to the biological profile of unidentified sub-adult skeletal remains.

Interpreting skeletal growth in the past from a functional and physiological perspective

The study of juvenile skeletal remains can yield important insights into the health, behavior, and biological relationships of past populations. However, most studies of past skeletal growth have been limited to relatively simple metrics. Considering additional skeletal parameters and taking a broader physiological perspective can provide a more complete assessment of growth patterns and environmental and genetic effects on those patterns. We review here some alternative approaches to ontogenetic studies of archaeological and paleontological skeletal material, including analyses of body size (stature and body mass) and cortical bone structure of long bone diaphyses and the mandibular corpus. Together such analyses can shed new light on both systemic and localized influences on bone growth, and the metabolic and mechanical factors underlying variation in growth.

Estimation of stature from upper arm length in children aged 4.0 to 6.92 y in Merida, Yucatan

OBJECTIVE

To understand age-sex variation of stature and upper arm length (UAL) and to estimate stature from UAL through prediction equations.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was undertaken in 2006-2007 among 458 children (218 boys and 240 girls) aged 4.0 to 6.92 y of south Merida in Yucatan, Mexico.

RESULTS

The results show significant age variation (p < 0.001) of stature and upper arm length (UAL) in children. Boys show significantly higher mean stature and UAL compared to the girls. Relative proportion of upper arm length to stature is greater in boys. Interrelationship between stature and upper arm length exhibits significant association with respect to age and sex of children. Reconstruction of stature from upper arm length through regression analysis also gives good prediction models for separate and combined samples of both sexes with age. Regression coefficients for UAL predicting stature account for 0.90 or greater variance in the dependent variable (stature). The difference between reconstructed stature and the actual measurement is less than ±2.00 cm.

CONCLUSIONS

UAL appears to be a reliable indicator to estimate stature in children aged 4.0 to 6.92 y old.