The Gender Based Hyoid Silhouette–A Metric Study in North Indians

Abstract

Background: The human hyoid bone is a part of viscerocranium and is susceptible to fracture during manual strangulation. A hyoid bone’s shape may influence its susceptibility to fracture. The present study aims to create a metric gender based profile for the hyoid in North Indians. It is envisaged that the silhouette created will provide inputs vital in comprehending bone morphology patterns for males and females. Methods: Paucity of comprehensive gender based hyoid morphometric studies in local population prompted the authors to format the present study. The measurements were taken on 500 hyoid bones of North Indian subjects with a special emphasis on sexual dimorphism (Male Female ratio 1:1). Results: Most hyoid dimensions are significantly larger in men with some measurements more sexually dimorphic than others, there exists 100% dimorphism for hyoid lengths and selective dimorphism as far as hyoid widths are concerned in North Indian population. When the greater cornua dimensions as measured for right and left side in same sex were compared they came out to be statistically insignificant (p>0.05). This reported insignificance for the same sex is an indirect pointer towards the dimorphic predisposition of hyoid bone. Conclusion: The study establishes the dimorphic silhouette for hyoid bone in North Indians. It also quantify the percentage sexual dimorphism for various morphometric parameters.