Abstract
Objective: The aim of the present study is to analyze and evaluate the applicability of bizygomatic and maxillary central incisor width in identifying the sex of an individual for anthropological studies. Material and Methods: The study was conducted on 100 individuals in a private dental institution. The width of the central incisor was measured by requesting the subject to bite onto a sheet of modelling wax. The bizygomatic width was calculated with the help of a divider by taking the most prominent area of the zygomatic arch as the reference point bilaterally. Berry’s formula was used to calculate the width of the maxillary central incisor from the bizygomatic width. Berry’s Formula “Width of the maxillary central incisor = Bizygomatic width / 16.” The data obtained was tabulated and analyzed statistically. Results: The results in our study indicated that the widths of both maxillary central incisors and the bizygomatic width were found to be higher in males when compared to females with a positive strong correlation. Conclusion: The Berry’s index can be used for identifying the gender and can also be used for facial reconstruction.KeywordsBerry’s index; Bite mark; Bizygomatic width; CentralIncisor; Gender identification.
Highlights
The study was conducted to determine the correlation between the bizygomatic and maxillary central incisor width for both male and females as an adjuvant to aid in bite mark analysis
Sexual dimorphism was higher for bizygomatic width when compared to upper central incisor width (Graph 5)
We found that both the maxillary central incisor and bizygomatic widths are greater in males compared to females, which is in accordance with the previous studies conducted by Gillen et al, Sterrett et al, Owens et al, [12,13,14] But in a study conducted by Sinthia Bhagat et al, the mean values of the maxillary central incisor and bizygomatic widths were greater in females compared to males, which is in contrast to the results of the present study [15]
Summary
“R ather than the functions in mastication and esthetics, tooth is a weapon secretly.” Forensic odontology is the application of dental sciences for law and criminal investigations. The most debatable and intricate areas of forensic odontology involves the analysis of bite marks. Bite marks could be outlined as having occurred as a result of either a physical alteration in a medium caused by the contact of teeth or a representative mark left in an object or tissue by the dental structures of an animal or human [2]. This case involved bite marks left in cheese at crime scene. Human bite marks pose a great challenge to the forensic team due to their distortions caused by the elastic properties of the skin [6]. The study was conducted to determine the correlation between the bizygomatic and maxillary central incisor width for both male and females as an adjuvant to aid in bite mark analysis. The results inferred from the berry’s index can be used for identifying the gender of a suspect
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