Gender determination according to the anthropometric measurements of the lower jaw

Introduction: In forensic medicine, the gender estimation is the first step for the identification of complete or incomplete human skulls. For this purpose, a series of morphological indicators of sexual dimorphism is analyzed qualitatively, whose objective is to determine the sex according to the anthropometric measurements of the jaw.Methods. In the present study, mandibular growth and its accuracy in the diagnosis of gender were analyzed. The method used was the examination of 400 lateral cephalometric radiographs of male and female subjects between 8 and 30 years old with an Angle Class I or Neutral-occlusion bite, who had not undergone orthodontic treatment before, using as observational parameters, the cephalometric measurements representing the mandibular growth: Co-Go, Co-Gn, Go-Gn, Fg-Pg.Results: There was a significant correlation between cephalometric measurements of mandibular growth (r = 0.6551). All the measurements were higher in men than in women at the end of the analysis; however, a longer length was reported in women at the beginning of the evaluation.Discussion: The presence of differences in the dimensions of mandibular growth justifies the revision of this indicator for the diagnosis of gender taking into account that it varies in each specific population.