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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
a
Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Manipal, India
b
Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, AJ Shetty Medical College, Mangalore, India
KEYWORDS Abstract Teeth are most useful tools in victim identication in the living as well as the dead in the
Identication; eld of forensic investigations. Their ability to survive in situations like mass disasters makes them
Victim identication; constructive devices. Many authors have measured crowns of teeth in both males and females and
Mesio-distal width; found certain variations. Canines, reported to survive in air crash and hurricane disasters, are per-
Canines; haps the most stable teeth in the oral cavity because of the labiolingual thickness of the crown and
Inter-canine distance the root anchorage in the alveolar process of jaws. Measurement of mesiodistal width of the
mandibular canines and intercanine distance of the mandible provides good evidence of sex
identication due to dimorphism. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of canine
index (CI) in the determination of sex.
2014 Hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Forensic Medicine Authority.
Please cite this article in press as: Bakkannavar SM et al. Canine Index A Tool for Sex Determination, Egypt J Forensic Sci (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.ejfs.2014.08.008
2 S.M. Bakkannavar et al.
The intercanine distance was measured using a digital cali- Standard canine index
per by placing the two pointed ends of its jaws over the canine mean male CI SD mean female CI SD
tip and values were noted (Direct method).
2
Please cite this article in press as: Bakkannavar SM et al. Canine Index A Tool for Sex Determination, Egypt J Forensic Sci (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.ejfs.2014.08.008
Canine Index A Tool for Sex Determination 3
200
No. of subjects
Please cite this article in press as: Bakkannavar SM et al. Canine Index A Tool for Sex Determination, Egypt J Forensic Sci (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.ejfs.2014.08.008
4 S.M. Bakkannavar et al.
Females
Table 5 Gender predictability using Maxillary Canine Index.
R-MxCI
Males MxCI Sex Cases Percentage
Right MxCI Males 158 (n = 250) 63.2
Graph 3 Right Maxillary Canine Index (R-MxCI).
Females 84 (n = 250) 33.6
Total 242(n = 500) 48.4
Left MxCI Males 160 (n = 250) 64
ranged from 0.1980 to 0.2415 with a mean of 0.2256 0.0085
Females 84 (n = 250) 33.6
in females as depicted in the Graph 3. This was not statistically Total 244 (n = 500) 48.8
signicant (p < 0.12).
The Left Maxillary Canine Index in males ranged from
0.1912 to 0.2736 with the mean of 0.2299 0.0142 and in 4. Discussion
females it ranged from 0.1986 to 0.2445 with a mean of
0.2272 0.0083 as depicted in the Graph 4. This was not Teeth help in forensic investigation to estimate age, determine
statistically signicant (p < 0.234). sex and race of a person even in decomposed and burnt bodies.
The standard canine index for the right and left mandibular Studies of sexual dimorphism provide information about the
canines were 0.2816 and 0.2837 respectively and for the right evolution of a population and for that matter, an individual
and left maxillary canines were 0.2243 and 0.2256 as shown too.6 In this study an attempt has been made to establish the
in Table 3. sex of a person by using mesiodistal width of canine teeth
Gender predictability using the standard canine index and and the respective intercanine distances in the South Indian
mandibular canine index (MnCI) showed acceptable results population.
as shown in Table 4 whereas the Maxillary Canine Index In our study, prediction of sex accurately using Right Man-
(MxCI) showed poor gender predictability as shown in dibular Canine Index was 73.2% for males and 75.6% for
Table 5. females with an overall accuracy of 74.2%. This value was
comparable with the study conducted by Kaushal et al. on a
North Indian population with an accuracy of 75%.2 Using
Graph IV : Left Maxillary Canine Index (L-MxCI)
Left Mandibular Canine Index, the accuracy of prediction of
Genderwise distribution sex was 73.2% for males and 76.8% for females with an overall
200 accuracy of 74.8%. This was in agreement with the study con-
ducted on North Indian population by Kaushal et al. with an
No.of Subjects
150
accuracy of 75%.2
100 The overall gender predictability using mandibular canine
index was 75%. Similar gender prediction has been reported
50
for North Indians (75%),2 South Indians (85.9%),7 Central
0 Karnataka in India (82.2%),8 PunjabiPakistani population
(76%),9 Egyptians10 and the Western Uttar Pradesh (North
India) population.11 But studies conducted by Muller et al.
on the French population showed a lower gender predictability
L-MxCI Females value (59.57%).5
Males Accuracy of prediction of gender using the Right Maxillary
Canine Index in our study was 63.2% for males and 33.6% for
Graph 4 Left Maxillary Canine Index (L-MxCI). females with an overall accuracy of 48.4%. Using the Left
Maxillary Canine Index, 64% of males and 33.6% females
were accurately predicted for gender with an overall accuracy
of 48.8%. The gender discrimination using Maxillary Canine
Table 3 Standard canine indices. Index showed poor statistical signicance.
Standard CI Value
Right MCI 0.2816 5. Conclusion
Left MCI 0.2837
Right MxCI 0.2243 It is evident from our study that only the mandibular canine
Left MxCI 0.2256 index is a good tool for determining sex. Along with other
Please cite this article in press as: Bakkannavar SM et al. Canine Index A Tool for Sex Determination, Egypt J Forensic Sci (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.ejfs.2014.08.008
Canine Index A Tool for Sex Determination 5
parameters, it increases the percentage accuracy of predicting 2. Kaushal S, Patnaik Dr VVG, Sood Dr V, Agnihotri Dr G. Sex
sex. It is a quick and easy method for sex identity. It is partic- determination in North Indians using mandibular canine index. J
ular signicant when more advanced methods for sex determi- Indian Acad Forensic Med 2004;26(2):459.
nation not readily available. However, they can only be used as 3. Proft WR. The development of orthodontic problemsContempo-
rary orthodontics. St. Louis, USA: The C.V. Mosby Company;
a supplemental tool, as the accuracy of MCI in gender identi-
1986. p. 84.
cation has never exceeded 87.5%. 4. Al-Rifaiy Mohammed Q, Aleem Abdullah M, Ashraf Igbal, Khan
Nazeer. Dimorphism of mandibular and maxillary canine teeth in
Funding establishing sex identity. Saudi Dent J 1997;9(1):1720.
5. Muller M, LupiPegurier L, Quatrehomme G, Bolla M. Odonto-
metrical method useful in determining gender and dental align-
No funding from any agency.
ment. Forensic Sci Int 2001;121:1947.
6. Camps FE. Gradwohls legal medicine. In: Identication by the skeletal
Conict of interest structures. 3rd ed. Bristol: John Wright and Sons; 1976. p. 110.
7. Rao NG, Rao NN, Pai ML, Kotian MS. Mandibular canine index
No conict of interest. a clue for establishing sex identity. Forensic Sci Int 1989;42:
24954.
8. Yadav S et al. Mandibular canine index in establishing sex
Ethical approval identity. Indian J Dent Res 2002;13(34):1436.
9. Mughal IA, Saqib AS, Manzur F. Mandibular canine index
As per institutional Ethics Committee. (MCI); its role in determining gender. Prof Med J 2010;17(3):
45963.
10. Hashim HA, Murshid ZA. Mesio-distal tooth width a compar-
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Please cite this article in press as: Bakkannavar SM et al. Canine Index A Tool for Sex Determination, Egypt J Forensic Sci (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.ejfs.2014.08.008