Determination of age and gender using condylar height and coronoid height- An orthopantomographic study

Introduction: The determination of age and gender in remnants of skull is important for medico-legal cases, especially where the bodies have been injured beyond identification as seen usually in cases of mass disaster. Panoramic radiographs are frequently used in routine dental practice to visualize the complete maxillo-mandibular region, temporo-mandibular joint and bilateral vital structures which are recorded on a single film. Hence, using digital panoramic radiographs this study was conducted in Telangana population to evaluate the usefulness of different linear measurements of ramus in determination of age and gender. Materials and Methods: 150 panoramic images of dentate subjects with an age ranging from 20-70yrs old were selected for the present study. For every panoramic image measurements were performed bilaterally resulting in a total of 300 rami being assessed. The digital panoramic images were saved in JPEG. File format and exported to the Care stream dental imaging software where the linear measurements were performed. The measurements were made using condylar-ramus and coronoid-ramus height. These measurements were subjected to statistical analysis. Results: It was seen that the Condyle to Gonion (CG) and Coronoid to Gonion (CoG) values is greater in males than in females with high significance. On comparison of the mean values of CG and CoG amongst the 3 age groups there was a significant difference in the mean CG values but not in the mean CoG values. Conclusion: The ramus height measurements on digital panoramic radiogrpahs can be used in the determination of age and gender.