RESUMO
The need for determination of sex from human skeletal remains is of great importance for genetic, anthropological, odontologic and forensic purposes. The present study aimed to detect the possibility of sex prediction using different measurements of hands belonging to random, living Egyptian population sample. Three hundred individuals [150 males and 150 females] with age ranges from 19 to 25 years were included in the study. The hand length, breadth and palm length of each subject were measured in both sides using a sliding caliper. The statistical analysis of the data obtained showed that, mean values of hand dimensions are significantly larger in males than females. These mean values were also larger in right hand than the left. The hand length was the measurement with the greatest sex difference in both hands. The distance between sex means was higher in left hand than the right regarding all variables. In both hands, the hand length was the most sensitive variable with 94% accuracy in right hand and 94.32% in left hand. Palm length is found to be the most specific variable with 89% accuracy in both hands. Combination of two measurements showed that, the hand length with the palm length give the highest rate of accuracy [86.22% for the right hand and 88.37% for the left]. The same combination between hand length and palm length gives the highest sensitivity in both hands [99.3% for right hand and 100% for left hand]. These results can help in correct sex prediction from the hand when a dismembered hand is brought to forensic examination