Three-dimensional quantitative comparative analysis of trapezial-metacarpal joint surface curvatures in human populations.

Purpose: Trapezial-metacarpal (TM) joint surfaces appear to be shallower in Asian than in white postmortem specimens, and the frequency of TM osteoarthritis seems to be substantially lower in Asian TM joints. This study tested the hypothesis that there are significant differences among human populations in TM joint surface curvature and that populations of Asian descent have less curvature than those of recent European descent.

Methods: The sample included trapeziums and first metacarpals from skeletons of 80 individuals of recent European and Asian descent and from skeletons of 34 African and 9 Australian aboriginal individuals.