Determination of sexual dimorphism using lateral cephalogram: A forensic study

---

Original Article

Author Details : Pritesh Ruparelia, Oshin Verma*, Navneet Gill, Kosha Ruparelia, Prerna Chandra, Setu P Shah

Volume : 10, Issue : 3, Year : 2024

Article Page : 209-215

https://doi.org/10.18231/j.ijohd.2024.037

Suggest article by email

Get Permission

---

Abstract

Background: Physical anthropologists and anatomists developed the branch of anthropometry known as craniometry or cephalometry. The lateral cephalogram are simple and reliable tools which can be routinely used for the forensic and anthropological purposes and it is ideal for the skull examination as it gives details of various anatomical points in a single radiograph. Accurate determination of sex and stature from human skull is of great importance in forensic investigations.
Aim and Objective: The purpose of this study is to check the accuracy and reliability of maxillary sinus morphometric paramters in gender determination by using lateral cephalogram. The objectives of the present study are to(i) assess the area and perimeter of maxillary sinus on lateral cephalogram of male and female patients, (ii) determine gender based on the area and perimeter of maxillary sinus on lateral cephalogram.
Materials and Methods: Lateral cephalograms of 510 participants with equal gender distribution i.e. 255 males and 255 females were obtained from the archives of data library. Then, the area and perimeter of maxillary sinus was measured using Auto CAD. The means of both area and perimeter of maxillary sinus were compared and statistically evaluated for gender determination by applying discriminant functional analysis and calculating technical error of measurement and coefficient of reliability.
Results: The mean area for male maxillary sinuses in the present study was 531.6276mm whereas the mean area for female maxillary sinuses was 422.7012mm. The mean perimeter of maxillary sinuses in males was 91.0837mm whereas in females it was 82.2952mm.
Conclusion: The dimensions of maxillary sinus in males were found to significantly greater compared to females which shows that parameters such as area and perimeter of maxillary sinuses are reliable to be used in forensic dentistry for identification purposes.

Keywords : Gender identification, Maxillary sinus area, Maxillary sinus perimeter

How to cite : Ruparelia P, Verma O, Gill N, Ruparelia K, Chandra P, Shah S P, Determination of sexual dimorphism using lateral cephalogram: A forensic study. Int J Oral Health Dent 2024;10(3):209-215

This is an Open Access (OA) journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.