Forensic perspective of foramen magnum— A CBCT study

Abstract

Background: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the CBCT scans of both adult males and females and measure Foramen Magnum through transverse and sagittal diameter for calculating FM Index, which acts as a tool for sexual dimorphism in unidentifiable skeletal remains. Objective: The aim of the study is to evaluate the role of Foramen Magnum in sexual dimorphism using CBCT and to obtain the linear measurements of FM, therefore by calculating FM Index. Materials and Methods: The study includes 70 CBCT scans (31 males and 39 females) with an age range of 20–75 years. Width, height, shape, area of the FM, and FM Index were measured, tabulated, and subjected to statistical analysis. Discriminant function analysis and binary logistic regression analysis were done to predict the gender accuracy. Results: Oval-shaped Foramen Magnum is the most commonly seen morphological variation in both males and females. Discriminant function analysis revealed that width of the FM has highest accuracy (57.1%) in predicting the gender. When all the parameters are combined, the overall gender prediction accuracy was found to be 67.1%. Conclusion: The results of the present study show that width, height, and shape of the FM will act as best predictors of gender determination.

Keywords

• cbct
• foramen magnum
• sexual dimorphism