Frontal Sinus Volume Assessment Using Dolphin Software

Assessing the relationship between frontal sinus volume, gender, and age, and investigating its potential use in forensic identification, particularly in gender estimation. The volumetric measurements were performed using cone-beam computed tomography images with a 16x18 FOV obtained from 78 participants (41 females, 37 males). The volume calculations were conducted using dedicated software, and a p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. The study revealed that gender had a statistically significant effect on frontal sinus volume, with males exhibiting larger volumes compared to females (p = 0.009). Regression analysis further confirmed that male gender was a significant predictor of increased frontal sinus volume (p = 0.008). While age group showed a borderline significant effect on sinus volume (p = 0.054), individuals aged 18–25 demonstrated the highest mean volumes compared to other age groups. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated a limited yet statistically relevant ability of frontal sinus volume to discriminate between genders, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.655. The optimal cut-off value identified was 6171 mm³, corresponding to a sensitivity of 67.6% and a specificity of 63.4%. Based on the findings of this study, frontal sinus volume demonstrates a statistically significant difference between genders, with males exhibiting larger volumes, and shows a borderline association with age, with the highest volumes observed in individuals aged 18–25; although its discriminative power is limited, frontal sinus volume may serve as a supplementary tool for gender estimation in forensic applications.