Abstract
The characteristics of the paranasal sinuses (maxillary, frontal, sphenoid and ethmoid sinuses) are information of great relevance to Forensic Sciences, as their images can be used for human identification purposes. Due to their particularities, the paranasal sinuses provide valuable information for human identification, reducing the risk of errors during investigation by experts. Such structures are visualized from several imaging exams. This study evaluates the possibilities of human identification through the analysis of the paranasal sinuses, as well as the effectiveness of their analysis in estimating sex, age and ancestry. A comprehensive search was performed in the PubMed, SciELO, LILACS, and Web of Science databases. As inclusion criteria, texts that addressed the subject were selected. Imaging analysis of the frontal, maxillary and sphenoid sinuses is a useful tool for human identification, as well as for estimating sex, age and ancestry; usually provides a high level of accuracy. Regarding the ethmoid sinus, research is indicated to verify its use in human identification, as no publications on this specific subject were found. Additional research must be carried out (especially three-dimensional analysis of the paranasal sinuses), to develop standardized protocols, improving the work of experts, helping justice and society.
Highlights
The identity of a person corresponds to a set of physical, functional or psychological, and normal or pathological characteristics, making the individual identical only to himself
3.1 Anatomy and embryology of paranasal sinuses Positioned in the bones that comprise the nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses are named according to anatomical relationships as maxillary sinus, ethmoid sinus, frontal sinus, and sphenoid sinus (Keir, 2009; Gallup, Hack, 2011; Ebrahimnejad et al, 2016)
As they are composed of air, they are classified as pneumatic cavities and lined by the mucoperiosteal membrane covered by the ciliated cylindrical pseudostratified epithelium, determining a direct or indirect communication with the respiratory system
Summary
The identity of a person corresponds to a set of physical, functional or psychological, and normal or pathological characteristics, making the individual identical only to himself. The identification process is complex, systematic, and organized, and the main objective is to determine the identity of the individual in evidence It is a comparative process, meaning it necessarily needs to compare data knowingly from an individual with the corresponding data from the subject to be identified (Neves et al, 2021; Andrade et al, 2021; Barros et al, 2021a; Gioster-Ramos et al, 2021; Kuhnen et al, 2021; Barros et al, 2021b; France, 2017; Xavier et al, 2015; Nikam et al, 2015). Decomposing, skeletonized, or charred corpses, especially in large-scale accidents, usually need to be identified, requiring the use of anthropological methods (Singh et al, 2013). This occurs when there is no suspicion about the identity of the deceased, which often requires assessing the biological profile of the subject
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