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Objectives: Dentition is considered an excellent source for biological profiling in contemporary and archaeological populations with forensic anthropological, genetic, and dental perspectives. Dental dimorphism is well established and can be reflected in measurements and indices. The goal of this study is to use the discriminant function and receiver operating curve analysis to estimate sex and to make useful classification models for estimating sex based on the canine field of the mandibular and maxillary jaws. Materials and Methods: A total of six variables of the maxillary and mandibular canines (width of left and right canines and intercanine distances) were measured on 200 adult subjects of the contemporary Haryanvi population (M/F 100:100, 18-60 years) using digital sliding calipers and indices calculated. A discriminant function and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was applied on collected data using SPSS 21.0. Results: All variables were sexually dimorphic (p < 0.001). In stepwise analysis, maxillary intercanine distance provided an accuracy of 84%. In ROC analysis, maxillary intercanine distance emerged as an excellent variable with the maximum area under the curve (AUC) and the highest sexing accuracy (86.0%). Discussion: We proved the feasibility of employing machine learning to improve sex prediction. Probable causes of discrepancies in sex classification using different models are discussed. When applying models based on only canine teeth (without attachment to the tooth socket), forensic anthropologists and archaeologists should be more careful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sex estimation of fragmentary remains is a critical problem which is further aggravated by the changing pattern of sexual dimorphism due to temporal/secular changes. Previously cranial chord variables were examined only to deduce cranial abnormalities and hominin evolution. In forensic anthropological literature to date, no studies have examined the importance of cranial chord variables in sex determination and neither have secular changes been reported in those measurements to date. Aim: The present study aims to examine the sexual dimorphism and temporal changes in chord measurements in the Indian population and to provide updated sex discriminant formulae. Subjects and methods: A total of 483 (contemporary: n = 158; sub-recent: n = 325) adult crania (18–70 years) from two temporally distinct North Indian populations were included in the study. Seven chord variables were measured and data were subjected to discriminant function analysis using SPSS 16.00. Results: Analysis of the data using the t-test demonstrated significant sexual and population variations over time. Univariate discriminant analysis revealed the glabella-bregma chord as the best variable in both populations (78.5 and 74.5% accuracy in the contemporary and sub-recent populations, respectively). Using multivariate analysis classification accuracy reached 86.1% in the contemporary sample. Conclusion: It is concluded that Indian crania are going through secular changes as the contemporary population has larger chord dimensions than their predecessors and chord variables can be applied for sex estimation in the Indian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sex discrimination is crucial in an anthropological examination. Researchers investigated the usefulness of different skeletal elements in sex determination in various populations using a range of variables and a variety of techniques. Each population needs its own specific and updated standards due to the differences in skeletal morphology. The present study aims to examine the importance of the mandible in sex discrimination of a north Indian population. A total of 190 adult mandibles (M:F:145:45) from the Department of Forensic Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India were collected. Five variables were measured and discriminant function analysis was performed using SPSS 16.00. The sex classification accuracies ranged from 48.9% to 67.4% for single variables. The highest sexing accuracy (71.6%) was achieved in stepwise analysis with the selection of 3 variables. In conclusion the variables selected for the present study were not suitable for forensic and archeological investigation. It is suggested that these variables must be examined on other populations to see their utility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]