Osteometric Assessment of the Mastoids for Gender Determination in Jordanians by Discriminant Function Analysis

Amin W^1, , Saleh M-W², Othman D³, Salhab D³ and Thunaibat H.³

¹Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Jordan, West Amman Province 11942, Amman, Jordan.

²Postgraduate Section, Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Jordan, Wes Amman Province 11942, Amman, Jordan

³Intern Dental Practitioner, Jordan University Hospital, West Amman Province 11942, Amman, Jordan

Cite this paper

Amin W, Saleh M-W, Othman D, Salhab D and Thunaibat H.. Osteometric Assessment of the Mastoids for Gender Determination in Jordanians by Discriminant Function Analysis. American Journal of Medical and Biological Research. 2015; 3(4):117-123. doi: 10.12691/AJMBR-3-4-7

Abstract

The purpose of this study was, firstly, to characterize the mastoid process in terms of its size, its surface area, its flare and its medial convergence angle on a sample of Jordanian subjects; and secondly, to assess the validity of the mastoid process in determining the gender of the study subjects. The sample of the study comprised 192 3D skull images with known sex, 96 each male and female, those were obtained by rendering DICOM images from cone-beam computerized tomography of the subjects. Radiographic measurements, using customized software, accurately characterized the subjects’ mastoids. Discriminant function analysis revealed that mastoid process correctly classified the sex in 90.6 percent of the subjects and the intermastoidale distance was found to be the best determinant for sex. A discriminant function equation specific for young and middle age Jordanians has been derived from the mastoid variables.

Keywords

mastoid process, discriminant function, mastoid flare, mastoid medial convergence, surface rendering, cone beam CT, 3D skull image, Solid Planner software

Copyright

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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