Odontometric sex estimation from clinically extracted molar teeth in a North Indian population sample

##plugins.themes.academic_pro.article.main##

Qutsia Tabasum
Jagmahender Sehrawat
Manjit Talwar
Raj Pathak

Abstract


Background: Different dental features have contributed significantly toward sex determination in the forensic anthropological contexts. Population-specific standards (discriminant functions or regression formulae) have been suggested for various population groups to identify the sex of an unknown individual from dental dimensions and other odontometric features. The main purpose of the present investigation was to examine the degree of sexual dimorphism exhibited by the human teeth of North Indians and identify importance as a forensic tool in sex determination. Materials and Methods: The linear and diagonal dimensions were recorded at both crown and cementoenamel junction levels of 58 upper and 72 lower molars of 130 Northwest Indian subjects (73 males and 57 females). The measurements were subjected to appropriate statistical analyses to estimate the sex estimation accuracy from lower and upper molars separately. Results: Univariate analyses revealed that molar teeth had greater dimensions in males than the females and the mesiodistal cervical diameter (MDCV) was found to be the most suitable variable for sex determination of the molars. The classification results were in agreement with the previously conducted studies. The index of sexual dimorphism (ISD) was calculated to be higher in lower molars than the upper molars, and the highest sex differences were observed for MDCV based on the ISD. The overall sex estimation accuracy obtained from multivariate discriminant function analysis and regression analysis of pooled data was 70.0% (74% males, 64.9% females) and 66.9% (78.1% males, 52.6% females), respectively. Conclusions: Odontometrics can play a significant role in establishing the biological identity of an unknown individual even from a single tooth in the absence of other sophisticated molecular or biochemical techniques used for this purpose.

##plugins.themes.academic_pro.article.details##

How to Cite
Qutsia Tabasum, Jagmahender Sehrawat, Manjit Talwar, & Raj Pathak. (2017). Odontometric sex estimation from clinically extracted molar teeth in a North Indian population sample. Journal of Forensic Dental Sciences, 9(3), 187–196. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfo.jfds_58_16

References

  1. Heron C, Hunter J, Knupfer G, Martin A, Roberts C, Pollard M. Studies in crime: An introduction to forensic archaeology. Routledge 2013;15:115.
  2. Stavrianos C, Stavrianou I, Dietrich E, Kafas P. Methods for human identification in forensic dentistry: A review. Internet J Forensic Sci 2008;4:1.
  3. Luntz LL. History of forensic dentistry. Dent Clin North Am 1977;21:7‑17.
  4. Hillson S, Fitzgerald C, Flinn H. Alternative dental measurements: Proposals and relationships with other measurements. Am J Phys Anthropol 2005;126:413‑26.
  5. Prabhu S, Acharya AB. Odontometric sex assessment in Indians. Forensic Sci Int 2009;192:1‑5.
  6. Kaur S, Chattopadhyay PK. Sexual dimorphism of incisors: A study of the Jat Sikhs. Leg Med (Tokyo) 2003;5 Suppl 1:S261‑2.
  7. AcharyaAB, Mainali S. Limitations of the mandibular canine index in sex assessment. J Forensic Leg Med 2009;16:67‑9.
  8. Goose DH, Dental measurement: An assessment of its value in anthropological studies. In: Brothwell DR, editor. Dental Anthropology. Oxford: Pergamon Press Ltd.; 1963. p. 125‑48.
  9. Kondo S, Townsend GC, Yamada H. Sexual dimorphism of cusp dimensions in human maxillary molars. Am J Phys Anthropol 2005;128:870‑7.
  10. Garn SM, Lewis AB, Swindler DR, Kerewsky RS. Genetic control of sexual dimorphism in tooth size. J Dent Res 1967;46:963‑72.
  11. Wood BA, Li Y, Willoughby C. Intraspecific variation and sexual dimorphism in cranial and dental variables among higher primates and their bearing on the hominid fossil record. J Anat 1991;174:185‑205.
  12. Saxena S, Sharma P, Gupta N. Experimental studies of forensic odontology to aid in the identification process. J Forensic Dent Sci 2010;2:69‑76.
  13. Iscan MY, Kedici PS. Sexual variation in bucco‑lingual dimensions in Turkish dentition. Forensic Sci Int 2003;137:160‑4.
  14. Bishara SE, Jakobsen JR, Abdallah EM, Fernandez Garcia A. Comparisons of mesiodistal and buccolingual crown dimensions of the permanent teeth in three populations from Egypt, Mexico, and the United States. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 1989;96:416‑22.
  15. Dayal PK, Srinivasan SV, Paravatty RP. Determination of sex using tooth. In: Masthan KM, editor. Textbook of Forensic Odontology. Hyderabad: Paras Medical Publisher; 1998.
  16. Zorba E, Moraitis K, Manolis SK. Sexual dimorphism in permanent teeth of modern Greeks. Forensic Sci Int 2011;210:74‑81.
  17. AcharyaAB, Mainali S. Sex discrimination potential of buccolingual and mesiodistal tooth dimensions. J Forensic Sci 2008;53:790‑2.
  18. Ruengdit S, Riengrojpitak S, Tiensuwan M, Santiwong P. Sex determination from teeth size in Thais. Proceeding the 6th CIFS Academic Day. Bangkok, Thailand: Central Institute of Forensic Science; 2011. p. 1‑12
  19. Manchanda AS, Narang RS, Kahlon SS, Singh B. Diagonal tooth measurements in sex assessment: A study on North Indian population. J Forensic Dent Sci 2015;7(2):126‑31.
  20. Saunders SR, ChanAH, Kahlon B, Kluge HF, FitzGerald CM. Sexual dimorphism of the dental tissues in human permanent mandibular canines and third premolars. Am J Phys Anthropol 2007;133:735‑40.
  21. Karaman F. Use of diagonal teeth measurements in predicting gender in a Turkish population. J Forensic Sci 2006;51:630‑5.
  22. Zorba E, Moraitis K, Eliopoulos C, Spiliopoulou C. Sex determination in modern Greeks using diagonal measurements of molar teeth. Forensic Sci Int 2012;217:19‑26.
  23. Rai B, Jain RK, Duban J, Dutta S, Dhattarwal S. Importance of maxillary first molar for sex determination. Internent J Dent Sci 2007;4:1.
  24. Peckmann TR, Meek S, Dilkie N, Mussett M. Sex estimation using diagonal diameter measurements of molar teeth in African American populations. J Forensic Leg Med 2015;36:70‑80.
  25. Acharya AB, Prabhu S, Muddapur MV. Odontometric sex assessment from logistic regression analysis. Int J Legal Med 2011;125:199‑204.
  26. Mujib AB, Tarigoppula RK, Kulkarni PG, Bs A. Gender determination using diagonal measurements of maxillary molar and canine teeth in davangere population. J Clin Diagn Res 2014;8:ZC141‑4.
  27. Khamis MF, Taylor JA, Malik SN, Townsend GC. Odontometric sex variation in Malaysians with application to sex prediction. Forensic Sci Int 2014;234:183.e1‑7.
  28. Deo E. A dimorphic study of maxillary first molar crown dimensions of Urhobos in Abraka, South‑Southern Nigeria. J Morphol Sci 2012;29:96‑100.
  29. Vodanovic M, Demo Z, Njemirovskij V, Keros J, Brkic H. Odontometrics: A useful method for sex determination in an archaeological skeletal population? J Archaeol Sci 2007;34:905‑13.