A Comparative Study of the Canine Tooth as a Tool in Gender Determination in Nigerian Population

• Main Authors: Peter O Otuaga, Lilian Ebite Chris-Ozoko, Oghenetega lynda Sakpoba, John Chukwuma Oyem
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University 2019-06-01
• Series: Galician Medical Journal
• Subjects: maxillary canine index; mandibular canine index; delta ibo; sex determination
• Online Access: https://ifnmujournal.com/gmj/article/view/1056
• ISSN: 2414-1518

Dental evidence has been demonstrated as a major forensic tool for the identification of individuals and sex determination. The objective of the research was to determine sex in Delta Ibo ethnic group of Nigeria using the mandibular and maxillary canine teeth. Materials and methods. The study comprised 201 (100 males and 101 females) subjects of Delta Ibo ethnicity at the age of 17 – 25 years. The mesiodistal crown width and intercanine distance of both the maxillary and mandibular canines were measured intraorally using a pair of dividers and a ruler. Unpaired T-test at a probability value of p<0.05 was used to ascertain the mean significant differences between the male and female canine indices.   Results. Study results showed a statistically significant difference between male and female mandibular and maxillary canine mesiodistal width. This implied a sexual and reversed sexual dimorphism in the studied population.        Conclusions. The study confirmed that the canines of Delta Ibos exhibit sexual dimorphism like other populations and the maxillary canine indices give the most accurate prediction in sex determination.