Gender determinationusing maxillary sinusparameters and distanceof mental foramen fromlower border of mandible

Aim: To assess the reliability of morphometric measurements performed on the maxillary sinus and the distance of mental foramen from the lower border of mandible for gender determination by cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Materials and Methods: A total of 390 CBCT images were included in this study. The length, width and height of the maxillary sinus and the distance from the superior and inferior border of the mental foramen to the lower border of mandible were assessed. All the measured parameter data was then subjected to discriminative statistical analysis and analyzed using unpaired t-test. P-value ≤0.05 was considered as significant. Logistic regression analysis was done to determine which measures were more predictive of sexual dimorphism. Discrimination values were determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, thus generating area under the curve (AUC) values, which ranged from 50% (very weak) to 100% (very strong). Results: The overall values of the maxillary sinus dimensions were significantly greater (p ≤ 0.05) in males as compared to females except right maxillary sinus length and left maxillary sinus width (p =0.162). The distances from the superior and inferior border of mental foramen to lower border of mandible were significantly greater (p ≤ 0.05) in males as compared to females. The accuracy of the maxillary sinus and the mental foramen for gender identification was found to be 65.5% and 73.8% respectively. Conclusion: CBCT measurement of the maxillary sinus and distance from the mental foramen to the lower border of the mandible can be used as a supplementary tool for gender determination in forensic anthropology.