Cephalometric Analysis for Gender Determination Using Maxillary Sinus Index: A Novel Dimension in Personal...

Area of Science:

• Forensic Odontology
• Anthropology
• Radiology

Background:

• Radiography plays a crucial role in human identification within forensic odontology.
• The maxillary sinus, the largest paranasal sinus, has potential for skeletal identification and gender determination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel method for gender determination using the maxillary sinus index from lateral cephalometric radiographs.
• To assess the reliability of the maxillary sinus for sex determination in forensic contexts.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 50 adult lateral cephalometric radiographs (25 males, 25 females).
• Measurement of maxillary sinus height and width using Sidexis XG software.
• Calculation of the maxillary sinus index and application of discriminant function analysis for gender prediction.

Main Results:

• Males exhibited greater mean maxillary sinus height and width compared to females.
• Females showed a higher mean maxillary sinus index.
• Discriminant function analysis achieved 68% sensitivity and 76% specificity in differentiating sex groups.

Conclusions:

• Morphometric analysis of the maxillary sinus is a dependable method for gender determination.
• The maxillary sinus index derived from lateral cephalometric radiographs can aid in forensic identification.