Evaluation of Antegonial Angle and Antegonial Depth to Estimate Sex in a Prepubertal Turkish Population.

Abstract

This retrospective study aimed to measure the antegonial angle (AGA) and antegonial depth (AGD) on panoramic radiographs in a Turkish subpopulation and to determine how those measurements relate to sex before puberty. A total of 600 patients were divided into 3 age groups (5, 6, or 7 years), and each group consists of 100 boys and 100 girls. For each patient, AGA and AGD indices in panoramic radiograph were measured by an oral radiologist and pediatric dentist. To our knowledge, this is the first study measuring AGA and AGD parameters on prepubertal subjects and identifying sex differences in these parameters. The data were analyzed by independent t test, Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman correlation analysis, and intraclass correlation coefficient for interobserver compliance using the SPSS software program. In all age groups, a statistically significant difference was found between the prepubertal boys and girls in both AGA and AGD parameters (P < 0.05). Our findings support the conclusion that, in addition to adults, AGA and AGD indices can be used to determine the sex of prepubertal Turkish children. These parameters can be used to determine the sex in forensic investigations of victims in whose age or pubertal condition are not known.