Sex determination by morphometric analysis of mandibular parameters using digital orthopantomogram of patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Nepal Shrestha Bijayata1, Dahal Samarika2,*, Subedi Sushil3, Koirala Ujjwal4, Baral Radha5 1Associate Professor, Department of Oral Pathology, Gandaki Medical College, Pokhara, Nepal 2Associate Professor and Head, Department of Oral Pathology and Forensic Dentistry, Maharajgunj Medical Campus, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal 3Associate Professor, Department of Oral Surgery, Gandaki Medical College, Pokhara, Nepal 4Associate Professor, Department of Oral Surgery, Gandaki Medical College, Pokhara, Nepal 5Lecturer, Department of Oral Pathology and Forensic Dentistry, Maharajgunj Medical Campus, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal *Corresponding Author: Dr. Samarika Dahal, Department of Oral Pathology and Forensic Dentistry, Maharajgunj Medical Campus, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal, Phone : +977-984-1363051, E-mail: dr.samarika@gmail.com
Online published on 19 December, 2023. Abstract Introduction Orthopantomograms are commonly used in dental practices to survey dental conditions. It’s an invaluable tool for studying age-related morphological changes as well as sex differences and correlations. This study was conducted to determine if mandibular parameters; maximum ramus width, minimum ramus width, condylar height, coronoid height, ramus height, and gonial angle are indicators of sexual dimorphism in a sub-set of the Nepalese population. Materials and Methods Present cross sectional study utilized 400 randomly selected panoramic radiographs (200 males and 200 females), of patients who visited Gandaki Medical College, Nepal. The mandibular characteristics of each panoramic radiograph on both sides were recorded and measured from September 2021 to February 2022. These values were imported into SPSS 20 and statistical analysis was done. The level of significance was set at P<0.05. Results With the exception of the minimum ramus width on the orthopantomogram, all variables of the mandibular ramus indicated a statistically significant difference between the sexes. Conclusions Mandibular measurements can aid in sex determination. These data imply that the mandible displays sexual dimorphism in Nepalese populations as well. However, further studies with larger populations from other provinces of Nepal can be done to establish base line data. Top Keywords Gonial Angles, Mandibular Ramus, Orthopantomogram, Sexual Dimorphism. Top |