Assessment of the Usefulness of Morphometric and Volumetric Analysis of Mastoid Process for Gender Determination in Forensic Odontology

Abstract

Background: Personal identification is crucial in natural mass disasters and in man-made disasters when the body is highly mutilated and fragmented. The mastoid process of the skull is important in this regard for sex determination, since it is one of the most protected region and is resistant to damage. Aim: To assess the usefulness of morphometric and volumetric analysis of the mastoid process for gender determination in forensic odontology. Materials and Methods: The study comprised of 60 retrospective CBCT skull images (30 males and 30 females) of known sex within the age group of 17–65 years. Radiographic measurements of the length, width, height and volume of the right and left mastoid processes were made using customized software. Statistical Analysis: The Wilcoxon signed-rank test, the Mann–Whitney U test, and discriminant functional analysis (DFA) were used to analyze all the collected data. Results: In the present study, the mean values of length, height, width and volume of the mastoid process were found to be higher in males than in females. The height of the mastoid process was found to be a good indicator of gender determination, with a sensitivity of 76.7%, a specificity of 76.7%, and an overall accuracy of 76.7%. Conclusion: We conclude that the mastoid process is a good indicator of gender determination. The volume can also be included as an additional parameter along with length, height, and width. We therefore recommend the use of the mastoid process for gender determination in personal identification in forensic odontology.