Race and stature differences in the skeletal maturation of the hand and wrist

Abstract

Levels of maturity of 22 bones of the hand and wrist in children aged 5 to 10 years were compared by considering the differences between each bone-specific assessment (Greulich and Pyle, 1959) and the mean of all 22 bones. After elimination of the effects due to observer bias, atlas singularities, and age, comparisons were made by race (white, black, and Oriental) and stature. In all comparisons, distinct row or area effects were found, with some evidence of ray gradients also. The pattern differences between white and black children were more pronounced than those between whites and Orientals, or those among the stature groups of whites and blacks. The white-black differences were great enough to provide the basis for an effective discriminant function. The total variation in maturity within the hand (the "disharmony" or "imbalance") differs in blacks from such variation in the other races.

Sex and race differences in the relative lengths of metacarpals and metatarsals in human skeletons

“…If this difference between African-Americans and European-Americans is verified, other ethnic and racial groups should be studied to see if possible underlying mechanisms can be identified. Race differences in the hands and wrists of children have been reported previously [36]. …”

Precision and Accuracy of Radiological Bone Age Assessment in Children among Different Ethnic Groups: A Systematic Review

“…[86] Moreover, almost half of the included studies (n = 23, 45.90%, n = 9777 AP left handwrist radiographs) were conducted on Caucasian children, whereas on the other hand, we found few studies carried out in African children (n = 8, 4.18%, n = 810 AO left wristcarpal radiographs). This imbalance may lead to interpretation biases because there is no homogeneous group to compare the precision or accuracy of every radiological method [87].…”