Discriminant function analysis of maxillary bone measurements for sex estimation in a Colombian population by using cone-beam computed tomography

Sexual dimorphism is an important biological factor for sex estimation from skeletal remains in medicolegal identification. This study aimed to determine using a discriminant function analysis, whether specific maxillary linear and angular measurements performed in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images may be useful to determine the sex in a Colombian population. The sample consisted of 212 CBCT scans acquired from 86 males and 126 females. The protocol included the assessment of 23 parameters, of which 16 were bilateral and seven were non-bilateral. An intra-observer variability test was performed to ensure data reliability and unpaired t tests were applied to determine between-group differences. Significant predictor variables were subjected to univariate and multivariate discriminant function analyses. A total of five non-bilateral and 14 bilateral measures were statistically significant. Univariate discriminant analyses produced a mean percentage of correct prediction after cross-validation ranging from 55.20% to 72.60% for non-bilateral and from 58.70% to 73.10% for bilateral maxillary variables. The association of variables in the multivariate models increased the percentages of correct sex prediction even after cross-validation up to 77.80% for non-bilateral and up to 77.40% for bilateral maxillary measurements. It was concluded that CBCT measurement of maxillary bone parameters may be applied as a complementary technique to discriminate the sex from human remains through discriminant function analysis methods in the Colombian population.