Use of Width Measurements Taken from the Upper Face Region in Sex Determination

Abstract

Objective: In today’s world, experts are increasingly making identification and sex determination from skeletonized and dismembered corpses. For this reason, the question of which anatomical regions and bones will be used for sex determination is becoming increasingly important issue. One of the anatomical regions that stand out in terms of sexual dimorphism is the facial region and the elements that make up this region. Although studies have revealed that the width measurements in the face region, especially the bizygomatic width, are an important sex-discriminating variable, the other elements that make up the upper face region have not been adequately examined. The aim of this study is to look for an answer to the question of whether width measurements can be used in sex determination by focusing on the upper face region (especially the orbital aperture and its surroundings). Methods: In this framework, 5 width measurements were taken on CT (computerized tomography) images of 200 adult individuals (100 women, 100 men) aged between 18 and 75 years. These measures are: (1) interzygomatic width, (2) bimalar width, (3) orbital width, (4) biorbital width, and (5) interorbital width. The degrees of sexual dimorphism of the measures were analyzed by constructing univariate and multivariate discriminant functions. Results: The results of the analysis revealed that the ratio of correct allocation of sex by univariate functions ranged from 63.5% to 76.5%. It was determined that the variables that best the discriminator of sex were bizygomatic width (76.5%) and biorbital width (73%), respectively. Two variables were included in the most successful multivariate function that correctly separated the sex groups. These are bizygomatic width and orbital width measurements, and the correct sex determination rate of this equation was determined as 77%. Conclusion: Our findings reveal that the success of the width measurements in the upper face and orbital region is at a moderate level, therefore, in the medico-legal examinations the width measurements of the upper face region can be applied in cases where the bone elements forming the pelvis are not found.