Frontal sinus as an adjuvant in personal and gender identification – A morphometric digital study

Abstract

Introduction: Human radiography plays a major role for personal and gender identification in case of natural disasters such as earth quacks, tsunamis, etc. when human remains are decayed or deceased. The uniqueness in dimensions and patterns of the frontal sinus (FS) lead to advances in forensic dentistry. Aim: To evaluate the dimensions and patterns of FS as observed on posterior-anterior (PA) cephalogram for personal and gender identification. Materials and Methods: A total of 700 PA Cephlograms, 350 males and 350 females were selected. The mean dimensions and patterns of the FS in males and females were determined and evaluated. Results: On intergroup comparison, the difference in dimensions of males and females were statistically significant with p-value of 0.000. The present study revealed that out of 700, FS symmetry and asymmetry was observed in 386 (55.14%) and 165 (23.57%) individuals respectively. The FS aplasia was seen in 149 (21.2%) individuals. Conclusion: The morphometric analysis of FS can serve as an adjunct to other methods of personal and gender identification. Keywords: Personal identification, Frontal Sinus, PA cephalogram.