Frontal sinus as an identity and sex indicator

Area of Science:

• Forensic Anthropology
• Craniometry
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Frontal sinuses exhibit individual variability, making them potentially useful for forensic identification.
• Previous research has explored frontal sinus morphology, but data on modern Greek populations is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the volume variability of frontal sinuses in a modern Greek population.
• To assess the utility of frontal sinus volume and morphology in forensic identification.

Main Methods:

• 102 CT scans from a modern Greek population (50 males, 52 females) were analyzed.
• 3D skull models were created to calculate frontal sinus volumes using Amira 5.4 software.
• 2D frontal and lateral sinus images were used for craniofacial superimposition to simulate antemortem X-ray matching.

Main Results:

• Average frontal sinus volume was 9,220 mm³ in males and 5,880 mm³ in females, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05).
• No significant correlation was found between frontal sinus volume and age in either sex.
• Using anterior radiographs yielded 80% sensitivity and 99.97% specificity for identification, while lateral views showed 60% sensitivity and 99.32% specificity.

Conclusions:

• While sex-based differences in frontal sinus volume exist, they are insufficient for global sex determination.
• The anterior view of frontal sinuses is a more reliable indicator for human identification in forensic contexts.
• The method is dependable when frontal sinuses are clearly visible on radiographs.