Sex and Age Estimation using the Morphometric Assessment of the Femur

Abstract

Anthropological assessment becomes the sole available medium for identification of the deceased in most forensic cases. We hope therefore to assess metrically if the femur bone could be used to estimate the age and sex of individuals by focusing on some rare morphological parameters. The skeletal samples of the right femur from 105 individuals (78 males and 27 females), who are within the age range of 21 and 60 years were harvested. The male samples had 53 profiled and 25 specimens non-profiled for age, while the females had 10 profiled and 17 specimens non- profiled for age. Direct measurements were taken for the marrow cavity diameter (MCD) and cortical thickness or radius (CT or Cr) using a centimeter rule and a sliding digital caliper to the nearest 0.1mm.The Marrow Cavity Diameter in our study is higher in the male population (1.70± 0.05) than the female population (1.43± 0.05). This variation was statistically significant (P<0.05) using the student t-test. The radius or thickness of the cortex decreases with age in females but is higher in the female population (0.73±0.03) than the males (0.68±0.03). ANOVA shows that there is a significant variation across male age groups (P=0.00) for the MCD, MA and Area of cortex. The marrow cavity diameter increases with age in males while area of cortex reduces with age in females. It is imperative therefore that the marrow cavity diameter, the medullary area and area of cortex are good assessors of age and sex.