Evaluation of Bonwill's triangle parameters using cone-beam computed tomography for gender determination: A retrospective study

Abstract

Background: The mandible is considered one of the most reliable bones available for gender discrimination. The mandibular Bonwill's triangle measurements can be used for the identification of gender either on the dry mandible or through three-dimensional imaging like computed tomography (CT) or cone-beam CT (CBCT). Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the mandibular Bonwill's triangle parameters using CBCT for gender determination. Materials and Methods: Morphometric analysis was performed on 80 CBCT images of Indian participants. The mandibular Bonwill's triangle parameters (C-LR, IC-L, IC-R, and semi-perimeter) were measured in the axial sections of CBCT images to predict the gender. Statistical Analysis: The Mann–Whitney test was used to compare the mean values between males and females, and the Kruskal–Wallis test was used to compare the mean values among different age groups. Results: The participants' ages ranged from 20 to 60 years, with an equal number of males (40) and females (40). The mean distance of C-LR was 106.72 mm in males and 102.59 mm in females. The mean distance of IC-L was 105.09 mm in males and 100.10 mm in females, while that of IC-R was 104.02 mm in males and 99.50 mm in females. The mean value of the semi-perimeter of the Bonwill's triangle was 157.93 mm in males and 151.09 mm in females. All these differences in variables between males and females were statistically significant. Using these variables, the overall prediction accuracy of this study was 75%, with 77.5% in males and 72.5% in females. Conclusion: The parameters of the mandibular Bonwill's triangle in the Indian population were observed to be larger in males than females. Hence, these parameters can be used for gender identification in forensic and medicolegal practice.