Sex Determination Using Human Sphenoid Sinus in a Northeast Iranian Population: A Discriminant Function Analysis

Sex determination, using skeletal remains, is of paramount importance in forensic studies. The skull accounts for the most sexual dimorphism after the pelvis. Recent studies have shown that paranasal sinuses are valuable in sex determination and considering the location of the sphenoid sinus, the risk of traumatic injuries to this structure is low.

The present study aimed to evaluate the morphology of the sphenoid sinus and determine the validity of sphenoid sinus volume (SSV) in sex determination using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images.

In this cross-sectional retrospective study, CBCT images of 469 Iranian patients (186 male and 283 female), aged 24-45 years, were selected. The morphology of the sphenoid sinus was recorded. 3D Slicer software (4.10.0) was used to assess SSVs in coronal and axial planes. For data analysis, t-test, chi-square test, and discriminant function analysis (DFA) were performed using predictive analytics software (ver. 18.0).

The most common morphology of the sphenoid sinus in both genders was the sellar type (50.5%). SSV was significantly larger in males than in females (p< 0.001). DFA showed that the capability of SSV in sex identification was 86.0% and 92.9% in males and females, respectively.

The findings of this study suggest that SSV is a reliable variable in gender discrimination in a northeast Iranian population. However, since the morphology of the sphenoid sinus and sex were independent of each other, the morphology of the sphenoid sinus is not a suitable indicator for sex determination.