Abstract: A total of 372 hand radiographs were obtained from 186 college students ( 90 males and 96 females, aged between 18 and 27 years). The stature of the students, and the length and the middle width of metacarpal bones were measured. By assessing the length and width of the metacarpal bones, we obtained several regression equations relating metacarpal length to stature; data that can be useful in physical anthropology and forensic medicine. Values included minimum and maximum, average and standard deviations of right and left metacarpal bones. The following regression equations of metacarpal bone length and stature were Ym = 1097.320+ 9.337X and Yf = 1016.752+ 9.878X. In males, the correlation between the length of the second metacarpal and stature was the highest. In females, the relationship between the length of the third metacarpal and stature was significant. The results may be used in estimating stature in anthropological and forensic medicine studies.

Key words: X-ray; Metacarpal bone; Stature; Regression analysis