Sex identification in Egyptian population using Multidetector Computed Tomography of the maxillary sinus

Abstract

Forensic anthropology involves the building of an antemortem profile of an individual from skeletal remains. This includes sex, race determination, and age and stature estimation. Because most bones that are conventionally used for sex determination are often recovered either in a fragmented or incomplete state, it has become necessary to use denser bones that are often recovered intact, eg, the maxillary sinus. The present work was performed to investigate the possibility of estimation of sex from some radiologic measurements among a known cross-section of Egyptian population. In this study, by the use of Multidetector Computed Tomography (MDCT) scan, eight maxillary sinus measurements were assessed in 96 living non-pathologic Egyptians comprising 48 males and 48 females aged 20–70 years referred to the Radiology Department. These were subjected to statistical analysis. Two variables showed significant differences: cephalo-caudal and size of the left maxillary sinus. The study concluded that the correct predictive accuracy was 70.8% in males and 62.5% in females. In conclusion, MDCT measurements of cephalo-caudal and size of the left maxillary sinuses are useful feature in gender determination in Egyptians.