THE INAPPLICABILITY OF THE CARREA INDEX TO ESTIMATE THE HEIGHT OF THE YANESHA NATIVE COMMUNITY

Abstract

Human identification is an important area of forensic sciences, especially when it comes to victims of natural disasters and those caused by humans. Stature is one of the four essential factors in determining personal identification along with age, sex, and ethnicity. The sample consisted of 88 plaster models of the lower jaw of the inhabitants of the Yanesha Native Community (Peru). The mesiodistal width of the central incisors, lateral incisors, and canines on the left side was measured to estimate height using Carrea’s index. Multiple linear regression was performed to obtain a new formula and improve the accuracy of stature estimates. When comparing the actual mean stature and the estimated mean stature an overall overestimation of 24.5 cm was obtained (overestimation in 100% of cases); furthermore, no successful estimates were found between actual and estimated heights. By applying the modification to Carrea’s index, an improvement in the overall estimation with a slight overestimation of 0.1 cm was achieved; successful estimates were obtained in 14.8% of cases, 40.9% of under-estimation, and 44.3% of overestimation. Therefore, the application of Carrea’s method for stature estimation in the Yanesha population in Peru would not be suitable as it shows a significant difference from the actual stature