Forensic Dentistry as an Analysis Tool for Sex Estimation: A Review of Current Techniques
Dennis Heng, Scheila Mânica, Ademir Franco
Abstract
Abstract: Sex estimation is an integral part of the forensic human identification process. Determining the sex of an unknown deceased victim helps with the dental profiling process, as only missing persons of the same sex need to be considered for identification. Nowadays, methods that are commonly used in dental sex estimation have either low accuracy or reliability or require complex equipment or tools to perform. Forensic tools for dental sex determination can broadly be categorised into metric, non-metric, and biochemical methods. This paper provides an in-depth review into the existing methods for dental sex estimation and presents the strengths and limitations of each method. It will also briefly discuss prospective developments in the field of dental sex estimation. Keywords: dental sex estimation, sexual dimorphism, human identification, forensic dentistry