SEXUAL DIMORPHISM OF THE PALATAL VAULT MORPHOMETRY AND RUGOSCOPY IN A SAMPLE OF EGYPTIAN CHILDREN POPULATION

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.

2 Pediatric Dentistry, Oral Health and Preventive Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt

3 Pediatric Dentistry Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt

Abstract

Introduction: Sex determination of the juvenile skeleton before puberty time is a difficult task. Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of the hard palate measurements and the rugae patterns in determining the sex of the Egyptian children. Patients and Methodology: The study included 210 children of either sex aged 6-12 years old. Alginate impressions from the maxillary arches have been taken. We measured the hard palate length, width, and height by using a digital caliper. We also obtained palatal rugae patterns from the maxillary casts. The patterns included the rugae length, shape, direction, and unification. Results: The mean palatal length, width, and height were significantly higher in males than females (p < 0.001), and they displayed a significant-good power in predicting male sex (area under the curves (AUCs) were 0.85, 0.87, and 0.80 respectively). The median number of curved rugae was significantly lower in males (p=0.002), while the straight shape rugae exhibited a significantly higher number in males than females (p=0.004). Binary logistic regression revealed a model with excellent (AUC=0.968) power and overall accuracy of 91.43% for sex identification. Conclusion: These findings indicate that the hard palate dimensions and the rugae shape could be used as complementary tools to determine the sex of the Egyptian children.

Keywords

Main Subjects

The Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences and Applied Toxicology
Volume 21, Issue 4
December 2021
Pages 65-78

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics