Sexual dimorphism in right and left orbital fossa measurements from adult human skulls from an eastern Indian population

Abstract

In forensic anthropology, the pelvis is the most reliable indicator of sex, followed by the skull, with several studies having used the morphometry of the orbital aperture of dry skulls to estimate sex. However, age, sex, ancestry, and evolutionary periods cause variations in orbital characteristics. In this study, we analyzed measurements of orbital fossa from adult human craniums and employed discriminant function analysis to establish a model to predict sex. A manual Vernier caliper was used to obtain measurements of the left and right orbital fossa. On comparing the measurements (including mean, minimum, and maximum), we found that all the dimensions were greater in males than in females. Wilks' lambda for the sex-discriminating model was 0.533, signifying a moderate discriminating power. The discriminant function equation was: df = −10.274 × right orbit width + 13.44 × left orbit width − 7.982 × right orbit height + 7.694 × left orbit height − 12.234 (constant). The cutoff point was (90.567− [−1.512])/2 = 1.0395. Therefore, above this value of 1.0395, cases were predicted to be male, while below it, they were predicted to be female. Orbital aperture measurements can play an important role in estimating sex from dry craniums. Orbital measurements could be a useful adjunctive test for sex estimation in forensic practice.