Sex estimation from the cranial base in a Thai population

Abstract

© 2019, © 2019 Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences. One part of the skeleton that often preserves well when other areas do not is the cranial base. This study examined 13 dimensions of the palate and the posterior portion of the cranial base in 200 Thai skulls. We also created three triangles from these dimensions. ROC analysis was possible to find sectioning points for both sexes. The distance from right to left mastoidale proved to exhibit the greatest estimated accuracy with 46% of males and 48% of females sexed at 90% accuracy or better, 51% of males and 54% of females sexed at 85% accuracy or better, and 58% of males and 64% of females sexed at 80% accuracy or better. The combination of one triangle (large base area) and the distance from posterior nasal spine to the right greater palatine foramen produced 90% estimated accuracy for 46% of males and 60% of females, 85% estimated accuracy for 67% of males and 68% of females, and 80% estimated accuracy for 77% of males and 79% of females. These results underperform some other metric approaches to sex estimation among Thai skeletons, but suggest that the cranial base can be useful in situations of poor preservation or taphonomic degradation.