Sex Estimation from Index and Ring Finger Lengths in Turkish Population

Abstract

Introduction: Sex estimation using unknown fragmented remains is one of the most important supplementaries in forensic identification. If sex cannot be determined by anatomical structures in forensic cases, it is a benefit to use anthropometric methods as a supplement to estimate sex of the individuals. Aim: To evaluate the ability of estimating sex from index and ring finger lengths and their ratios in Turkish adults. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 394 adult volunteers (197 males and 197 females) aged between 18-25 years, and were selected from the Karadeniz Technical University, Turkey by stratified randomisation method. The train group comprised of 314 individuals (157 males and 157 females). The reliability of the sex estimation derived models was evaluated in the test group (40 males and 40 females) of same age range. Sex estimation models were developed by using Binary Logistic Regression Analysis. Results: The results indicate that the Index Finger Length (IFL) and Ring Finger Length (RFL) were found to be significantly longer in males than females in both right and left hands (p0.05) for both sexes. Bilateral asymmetry was observed in RIFL and LIFL for both sexes (p0.05). Accuracy percentage for models ranged between 70.0% and 75.0% in the test group for both sexes. The most successfully classified sex variable was found to be RIFL (AUC=0.75). Conclusion: The study concluded that sex estimation from the IFL and RFL may be a useful parameter when there is no more reliable sex estimation approach for forensic investigations.

Keywords

• forensic anthropology
• identification
• index finger length
• index/ring finger ratio
• ring finger length