Cephalo-facial analysis to estimate stature in a Sudanese population

•We assessed the correlation between stature and cephalo-facial measurements.•Correlations between most measurements and stature were statistically significant.•We generated regression equations for estimating stature in a Sudanese population.•Cephalo-facial measurements can be used in Sudanese adults to estimate stature.

Medico-legal practitioners are often confronted with dismembered remains from which they need to develop a biological profile to establish identity. Accurate estimation of stature is an initial, crucial component of any meaningful medico-legal evaluation. However, sometimes only cephalo-facial remains are available. The most accurate statistical estimations of biological attributes are based on population-specific standards. Therefore, this study assessed the ability to estimate stature using 15 cephalo-facial measurements in 240 Sudanese adults (120 men, 120 women) aged 18–25 years. Stature and cephalo-facial measurements of men were significantly higher than those of women. Most of the measurements were significantly correlated with stature (p < 0.05), with better correlations for women than for men. The accuracy of stature estimation using sex-specific simple and stepwise multiple regression equations ranged from ±52.53 to ±60.28 mm. This study provides new forensic standards for stature prediction in a Sudanese population. However, the equations should be used with caution in forensic cases when the more reliable body parts (e.g., limbs) are not available for human identification.