6533b85afe1ef96bd12b8d9e
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Metric assessment of the "mastoid triangle" for sex determination: a validation study.
Ariane KemkesAriane KemkesTanja Göbelsubject
AdultMaleValidation studyCephalometryPathology and Forensic MedicineStatisticsGeneticsmedicineHumansMathematicsSex CharacteristicsCraniabiologyForensic anthropologyDiscriminant AnalysisTemporal BoneCraniometrybiology.organism_classificationSexual dimorphismmedicine.anatomical_structureAsterionMetric SystemForensic AnthropologyFemaleMetric (unit)DemographySex characteristicsdescription
Recently, a metric approach to skeletal sex determination was published by Paiva and Segre which is based on the summation of two triangular areas defined by three distinct craniometric landmarks: Porion, Mastoidale, and Asterion. According to the authors, values for the total triangle > or =1447.40 mm(2) are characteristic for male crania, while values < or =1260.36 mm(2) are indicative of female skulls (95% confidence). In order to evaluate the method's validity, two sex- and age-documented samples of different provenience were analyzed (N=197). The results show that while the indicated measurements display significant sex differences, the technique is of little practical meaning where a single individual must be independently classified. It is hypothesized that differences in the expression of sexual dimorphism as well as a population-specific variability of the asterion location undermine the value of the mastoid triangle as a sex determinant.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-09-01 | Journal of forensic sciences |