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Indian Journal of Oral Sciences Vol. 4 Issue 1 Jan-Apr 2013

Introduction
Gender determination of skeletal remains a
part of archaeological and many medico-legal
examinations. The methods vary and depend
on the available bones and their condition.
The only method that can give a totally
accurate result is the DNA technique, which
is not feasible in many cases and cannot be
readily used. Anthropological measurements
of the skeleton and the comparison with
existing standard data must then be applied
and may help to differentiate between male
and female remains.
Teeth are an excellent material in living and
non-living populations for anthropological,
geneti c, odontol ogi c, and forensi c
investigations. These exhibit the least
turnover of natural structure and are
readily accessible for examination. Being
the hardest and chemically the most stable
tissues in the body, they are selectively
preserved and fossilized, thereby providing
by far the best record for evolutionary
change. Their durability in the face of
fire and bacterial decomposition make
them invaluable for identifcation.
[1]
Tooth
size standards based on odontometric
investigations can be used in age and sex
determination.
[2]
Sexual Dimorphism
refers to those differences in size, stature,
and appearance between male and female
that can be applied to dental identifcation
because no two mouths are alike.
[3]
The mandibular canines have a mean age of
eruption of 10.87 years and are less affected
than other teeth by periodontal diseases.
These are the last teeth to be extracted
with respect to age. Canines are also better
likely to survive severe trauma such as
air disasters, hurricanes, or confagration.
These fndings indicate that mandibular
canines can be considered as the key teeth
for personal identifcation.
[4]
Study of mandibular canine index
as a sex predictor in a Punjabi
population
Tushar Kakkar, Jagpreet S Sandhu
1
, Simarpreet V Sandhu, Amandeep Kaur Sekhon
1
,
Kartesh Singla, Karuna Bector
1
Departments of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology,
1
Orthodontics, Genesis Institute of Dental Sciences and
Research, Ferozepur, Punjab, India
Original Article
ijos_73_12R4
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Teeth are an excellent material in living population for anthropological, genetic,
odontologic, and forensic investigations. Of them, canines are considered to be the key teeth for
personal identification, also mandibular canine are least impacted as compared to maxillary canine.
Aim: The present study was undertaken to access the accuracy of the sexual dimorphism
using canine indexing in a Punjabi population.
Materials and Methods: A sample size of 250 individuals was taken and their canine
indexing was done.
Results: No significant statistical differences were noted in intercanine width, Observed
Mandibular canine index while mandibular canine width showed significant values in sexing
Punjabi pouplation.
Conclusion: Statistical analysis revealed that MCI was not a significant parameter in assessing
sexual dimorphism.
Key words: Canine index, DNA, forensic odontology, Punjabi population, sexual dimorphism
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DOI:
10.4103/0976-6944.118518
Quick Response Code:
Address for Correspondence:
Dr. Simarpreet Virk Sandhu,
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial
Pathology, Ferozepur Moga Road,
Ferozepur - 152 001, Punjab, India.
E-mail: s_vrk@yahoo.com
Date of Submission: 06-08-2012
Date of Acceptance: 26-02-2013
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Kakkar, et al.: Mandibular canine index in a Punjabi population
24
Indian Journal of Oral Sciences Vol. 4 Issue 1 Jan-Apr 2013
Observed mandibular canine index MCI
Mesio-distal crown w
( )
=
iidth of mandibular canine
- Mandibular inter canine width
The standard MCI value is used as a cut-off point to
differentiate males from females which is obtained as
follows:
Obtained from the measurements taken from the samples
by applying the following formula:
Standard mandibular canine index
Mean male MCI SD Mean f
=
- + ( ) eemale MCI SD + ( )
2
The observed MCI was then compared with the standard
MCI value obtained in this study and correlated with
previous studies [Tables 1-3].
Observation and Results
The following parameters were determined in males and
females:
Intercanine distance
Mandibular canine width
Mandibular canine index.
The calculated standard MCI for both male and female
was found to be 0.1921.
The intercanine width and the MCI revealed no signifcant
The purpose of the study was to investigate the
accuracy with which gender can be differentiated by
using the mandibular canine index (MCI) in the Punjabi
subpopulation.
Materials and Methods
The study was conducted on 250 subjects (125 males and
125 females) aged between 17 and 25 years and were of
Punjabi origin (natives of Punjab and born in Punjab to
Punjabi parents). All the participants were briefed about the
purpose of the study and a written consent was obtained
from each of them.
The inclusion criteria for the study are as follows:
Healthy state of gingiva and periodontium
Caries free canine teeth
Class I molar and canine relationship
Normal overjet and overbite (23 mm)
The absence of spacing in the anterior teeth.
Technique
Maxillary and mandibular impressions of all the samples
were taken with alginate, and study models were prepared
in dental stone. The mandibular study models were used for
the analysis. On the study model, a series of measurements
were taken for all the subjects using a digital Verniers
calipers. Mandibular canine width was measured as the
greatest mesio-distal dimension of mandibular canine
on either side of the jaw using a Vernier caliper. The
inter-canine distance was measured as the linear distance
between the cusp tips of right and left mandibular canine.
The observed mandibular canine width and intercanine
width were subjected to statistical analysis to assess sex
difference using the unpaired t-test. The observed MCI
was calculated using the formula below:
Table 1:Comparison of various parameters
Parameter Male Female t value P value Significance
Mean SD CV Mean SD CV
Canine width 6.47 0.53 8.27 6.31 0.44 6.99 2.58 <0.01 Significant
Intercanine width 33.8 2.25 6.65 33.42 2.33 6.96 1.27 >0.05 NS
Mandibular index
Observed 0.1921 0.0185 9.62 0.1896 0.0175 9.28 1.07 >0.05 NS
Standard 0.1903 0.1903
CV = Coefficient of variation
Table 2: Percentage of subjects correctly predicted using
standard mandibular index (0.1921)
Sex No. %age
Male 53 53.54
Female 82 55.03
Total 135 54.44
Table 3: Accuracy of other standard mandibular indices
in the present sample
Study Sex No. %age
Rao et al.
[5]
Male 0 0.00
St MCI=0.274 Female 149 100.00
Total 149 60.08
Muller et al.
[6]
Male 0 0.00
St MCI=0.269 Female 149 100.00
Total 149 60.08
Reddy Male 0 0.00
St MCI=0.256 Female 148 99.33
Total 148 59.68
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Kakkar, et al.: Mandibular canine index in a Punjabi population
25
Indian Journal of Oral Sciences Vol. 4 Issue 1 Jan-Apr 2013
A North Indian population study done by Kaushal
et al. concluded that mandibular canines showed highly
signifcant canine index in sexual dimorphism.
[9]
Nair
et al. (1999) in their study on South Indian subjects
concluded that the left mandibular canine followed by
the right mandibular canine showed the maximum sexual
dimorphism.
[10]
Our study concluded that the standard MCI was not one
of the important parameters in assessing the accuracy of
sexual dimorphism. This was in agreement with the study
done by Acharaya and Mainali.
[11]
A probable explanation
is that the MCI is a relative value obtained as the ratio of
two absolute measurements (MD dimension of canines
and intercanine arch width), and does not refect sex
differences that exist in absolute measurements per se
[Table 5].
Therefore, it is not unsurprising that the MCI fails to show
signifcant univariate sex difference. This inability of the
MCI to refect sex dimorphism that exists in absolute
measurements could also be responsible for poor sex
classifcation using discriminant analysis. In addition, the
inter-canine arch width requires that all canines and incisors
be present in the mandible. In the event, one of these teeth
is congenitally missing, fail to erupt, or has been extracted
early in life, the inter-canine arch width and, consequently,
the MCI cannot be derived.
[12]
Also, in skeletal specimens,
canines may be mobile due to compromised periodontal
support. In such instances, the inter-canine arch width and
the resulting MCI may be erroneous. Furthermore, the
method was primarily dependent on one type of tooth,
sex difference (P > 0.05) while comparing mandibular
canine width showed signifcant results (P < 0.01) as shown
in Table 1.
Also standard MCI showed lower accuracy in sexing the
Punjabi population as given in Table 2.
Further, accuracy of both other standard mandibular
indices in the present sample is depicted in Table 3.
Discussion
Canines provide excellent models for the study of
relationship between ontogeny and phylogeny. Rao and
co-workers suggested that the canines be considered as a
key tooth for sex assessment since they are consistently
larger in males, less prone to dental disease, and more
likely to survive postmortem insults. Sexual dimorphism
in mandibular canines is not merely a coincidence but can
be expected to be based on functional activity.
Studies done by Rao et al., obtained a healthy 85.9% accuracy
in sex identifcation.
[5]
Later, Muller et al. tested Rao et al.s
standard MCI on a French sample and could correctly
identify sex in just 59.4% of cases.
[6]
Also, Hashim and
Murshid (1993) conducted a study on Saudi males and
females in the age group of 13-20 years and found that
only the canines in both jaws exhibited a signifcant sexual
difference while the other teeth did not.
[7]
Similar fndings
were given by Lew and Keng (1991) and Kumar et al., (1989)
who demonstrated that inter-canine width and MCI were
useful parameters in differentiating the sexes
[8]
[Table 4].
Table 5: Various studies by different authors
Unfavourable
Author Region Cases Result
Acharya AB, Mainali S
[11]
Karnataka 117 of dental stone casts It is a relative value and does not reflect sex differences
that exist in absolute measurements per se
Acharya AB, Angadi PV,
Prabhu S and Nagnur S.
[17]
Karnataka 203 (103 males, 100 females) Sex could be predicted in 62-66% of the subjects
Our study Punjab 250 (125 males and 125 females) It is a relative value and does not reflect sex differences
that exist in absolute measurements per se
Table 4: Various studies on canine index by different authors
Favorable
Reference Region Cases Result
Rao NG, Rao NN
[5]
Karnataka 766 of either sex Accuracy of sex determination was found to
be 84.3% in males and 87.5% in females
Yadav S Nagabhushana D, Rao BB
and Mamatha GP
[14]
Karnataka 360 of either sex Accuracy of sex determination was found to
be 83.3% in males and 81% in females
Vandana M. Reddy, Susmita
Saxena, Puja Bansal
[15]
Western Uttar
Pradesh
200 (100 males+
100 females)
Sex could be predicted in 70% of the
subjects
Kaushal S, Patnaik VG, Agnihotri G
[9]
Punjab 60 (30 males and
30 females)
Definite statistically significant values found
Mughal IA, Saqib AS, Manzur F
[16]
Pakistan-Punjab 200 students (100 males
and 100 females)
Accuracy of sex determination was found to
be 71.67% in males and 78.72% in females
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Kakkar, et al.: Mandibular canine index in a Punjabi population
26
Indian Journal of Oral Sciences Vol. 4 Issue 1 Jan-Apr 2013
namely the canine.
[13]
While this makes the method simple
and convenient, the end result, i.e., sex assessment, may
be sub-optimal. Indeed, a recent study on our sample
has shown high sex identifcation accuracy (92.5%) from
discriminant analysis of all teeth.
Conclusion
We recognize that canines reveal the greatest and most
consistent sex dimorphism in the dentition, inter-canine
width and MCI revealed insignificant sex difference
and standard MCI show low accuracy in sexing Punjabi
population.
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How to cite this article: Kakkar T, Sandhu JS, Sandhu SV, Sekhon
AK, Singla K, Bector K. Study of mandibular canine index as a sex
predictor in a Punjabi population. Indian J Oral Sci 2013;4:23-6.
Source of Support: Nil, Confict of Interest: None declared
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