REVIEW OF STUDIES USING CARREA’S INDEX AND ITS MODIFICATION FOR CALCULATION OF STATURE

Abstract

Identification is necessary in living persons, recently dead persons, decomposed bodies,
mutilated and burnt bodies and skeleton. It is necessary in both criminal cases like persons
accused of assault, murder, rape, etc., interchange of new born babies in hospital,
impersonation etc and civil cases like marriage, inheritance, passport, insurance claims,
disputed sex, missing person, etc.1
Stature is an important dimension which aids in the process of identification. Carrea was
successful in establishing human stature on scientific grounds, after studying, measuring and
comparing hundreds of skulls. In Carrea’s study, the mesiodistal diameters of a central incisor, a
lateral incisor and a lower canine and the sum in millimetre constitutes an arc of circumference
that includes above mentioned three teeth and called by Carrea as lower radius-string. The chord
is the linear distance between the end of the arch, represented by the mesial edge of the central
incisor and distal end of the canine on the same side. In this article we review studies that were
conducted using carrea’s indix and its modification.