Determination of Sexual Dimorphism of Kashmiri Population using Odontometric Dimensions

Introduction Sex determination is an essential step for medico-legal purposes and identification of victims in mass disaster. Teeth are an excellent material for forensic investigations, as they are known to resist a variety of ante-mortem and post-mortem insults. Using teeth for determination of sex plays a pivotal role in young individuals where the skeletal secondary sexual characters have not yet developed. Sex determination using dental features is primarily based upon the comparison of tooth dimensions in males and females. Hence, this study was undertaken to evaluate the existence of sexual dimorphism in kashmiri population. Aim To evaluate and estimate the degree of odontometric sexual dimorphism in all permanent teeth except third molars and the variations in odontometric dimensions between teeth of the maxillary and mandibular dental arches in male and female groups. Materials and Methods The sample comprised of 108 individuals of kashmiri population (56 females, 52 males), young adults in the age-group of 16-26 years. Both Maxillary and Mandibular study models were collected from the Department of Orthodontics from patients who report for orthodontic treatment there. The Mesiodistal (MD) and BuccoLingual (BL) measurements of 28 teeth were estimated using digital Verniers Caliper. The data obtained were analysed using SPSS version 16.5 and the Students t-test for two independent samples. Results The Mesio-distal (MD) and Bucco-lingual (BL) parameters of all permanent teeth in the study group showed sexual dimorphism. The mandibular canines showed the greatest sexual dimorphism followed by central incisors. Out of 56 variables measured, male teeth exceeded females significantly in 09 (p less than 0.05), of these 06 belongs to the mandible.16 out of 56 variables were larger in females although the differences were statistically insignificant Conclusion This study showed a varied percentage of sexual dimorphism and variation in the mean values of MD and BL dimensions in males and females