Sex determination using upper limb bones in Korean populations.

Area of Science:

• Forensic Anthropology
• Human Osteology
• Bioarchaeology

Background:

• Accurate sex determination from skeletal remains is vital in forensic science and anthropological research.
• Existing methods often lack population-specific data, potentially impacting accuracy for diverse groups.
• Upper limb bones offer valuable metrics for osteological analysis, but standardized approaches are needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish metric standards for sex determination using upper limb bones in a modern Korean population.
• To evaluate the accuracy of various osteometric variables for sex estimation.
• To identify the most effective measurements for reliable sex determination in Korean individuals.

Main Methods:

• Eleven osteometric measurements were taken from the right upper limb bones of 175 adult Korean skeletons.
• Statistical analysis, including stepwise selection, was employed to identify key variables for sex determination.
• Classification accuracy was calculated based on selected metric standards.

Main Results:

• The vertical head diameter of the humerus alone showed high accuracy for sex determination.
• Maximal length of the humerus and vertical head diameter of the humerus were selected as the most effective variables.
• A combined accuracy of 87% was achieved using these two measurements.

Conclusions:

• This study highlights the necessity of population-specific metric standards for accurate sex determination from upper limb bones in Koreans.
• The findings are applicable to medicolegal investigations, aiding in the identification of individuals.
• Established standards contribute to understanding population affinities and factors influencing skeletal morphology.