Sexual dimorphism in mental foramen position: A discriminant function study in the Malay population

Area of Science:

• Forensic Anthropology
• Human Osteology
• Forensic Odontology

Background:

• The mandible is crucial for forensic sex estimation due to preservation and sexual dimorphism.
• The mental foramen is a reliable landmark for morphometric analysis, resistant to resorption.
• Population-specific data is essential for accurate forensic identification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate sexual dimorphism in the mental foramen's spatial relationship to the mandibular lower border in the Malay population.
• To develop a high-specificity forensic sex estimation tool using discriminant function analysis.
• To establish the first population-specific discriminant equation for sex estimation in Malays.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 141 digital orthopantomograms from the Malay population (71 females, 70 males).
• Bilateral measurement of linear distances from the mental foramen borders (superior and inferior) to the mandibular lower border.
• Discriminant function analysis for sex classification model development and validation.

Main Results:

• Significant sexual dimorphism observed in all measurements (p < 0.001), with males exhibiting larger distances.
• The discriminant function achieved 75.18% classification accuracy.
• The left inferior mental foramen to lower border distance showed the highest discriminatory power (standardized coefficient = 0.488).

Conclusions:

• The study established the first population-specific discriminant equation for sex estimation in Malays.
• Findings underscore the necessity of ethnic-specific morphometric standards in forensic anthropology.
• A reproducible tool for forensic applications was provided, addressing a critical gap.