Use of non-metric characteristics of mandible in sex determination

Aims and Objectives: Mandible is the strongest, largest, hardest, and most durable bone of the skull which plays a paramount role in forensic study due its ability to maintaining its shape and contour better than other bones and exhibiting a greater degree of sexual dimorphism. To study the non-metric characteristics of mandible such as the variations of shape of chin, inferior border of mandible, and shape of coronoid process helps to distinguish between males and females. Materials and Methods: The material for this study comprised 90 dry adult human mandibles of known sex which was obtained from Department of Anatomy. The peculiar features that allowed us to differentiate among the sexes was contour of the inferior border of mandible, shape of the chin and shape of coronoid process bilaterally. Results: Male mandibles showed rocker-shaped predominantly (58.9%), whereas about (41.1%) of female mandibles exhibited a straight inferior border of the mandible. The shape of the chin in most of the males was bilobate (45.5%), square (43.6%), whereas female mandible had pointed chin (71.4%). Shapes of coronoid process observed were hook in (27.8%), rounded (31.1%), and triangular (41.1%) with P < 0.05 which indicated statistical significance. Conclusion: The non-metric analysis of mandible could be used for sex determination.