Frontal sinus index - A new tool for sex determination

摘要

Objective: Frontal sinus is one of the Para nasal sinuses of the skull which was a primary tool for personal identification. But the significant dimorphic characteristics in its measurements can also be used for sex determination. Hence the present study was designed to develop a new method for sex determination using frontal sinus index from lateral cephalometric radiographs. Methodology: A total of 216 adult digital lateral cephalometric radiographs were included in the study. The frontal sinus analysis was performed on these radiographs using the length and angle measurement tools of SIDEXIS XG software. The frontal sinus index (R) was calculated for all the radiographs and was subjected to statistical analysis. Discriminant function analysis was performed to derive the equation for sex determination using "R". Results: Significant differences were observed in the frontal sinus measurements between males and females supporting the dimorphic features of frontal sinus in humans. The discriminant function equation derived in the study was able to differentiate the sex groups with 67.59% accuracy rate. Conclusion: From the results of the present study it may be concluded that frontal sinus index can be used as a reliable tool in sex determination.