Sex determination from human cranium 3D CT based evaluation in an Indian population

Area of Science:

• Forensic Anthropology
• Medical Imaging
• Human Osteology

Background:

• Accurate sex determination from human remains is a legal and social necessity in forensic investigations.
• Modern radiological imaging, particularly 3D computed tomography (CT), offers advanced tools for anthropometric analysis.
• Population-specific criteria enhance the accuracy of estimating biological traits from skeletal remains.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate sexual dimorphism in an Indian population using 3D CT skull images.
• To determine the accuracy of cranial anthropometric parameters for sex determination.
• To develop and refine CT-based anthropometric methods for improved sex estimation in the Indian population.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 3D CT scans from 274 individuals (183 males, 91 females) from the Indian population.
• Measurement of 16 cranial anthropometric parameters.
• Application of logistic regression analysis (LRA) and discriminant function analysis (DFA) for sex determination.

Main Results:

• The bizygomatic breadth was identified as the most sexually dimorphic cranial parameter.
• Bizygomatic breadth achieved an accuracy of 80.7% with LRA and 81.2% with univariate DFA for sex determination.
• The study highlights the effectiveness of cranial morphometrics in sex estimation within the studied Indian cohort.

Conclusions:

• Cranial anthropometric measurements derived from 3D CT scans are valuable for sex determination in the Indian population.
• The bizygomatic breadth is a significant predictor of sex in this demographic.
• This research contributes to more accurate forensic identification methods by providing population-specific data and refining CT-based techniques.