The Mandibular and Maxillary Canine Teeth in Gender Determination in a Nigerian Population

Abstract

Teeth are excellent material in living and non-living populations for anthropological, genetic, odontologic and forensic investigations. Their durability in the face of fire and bacterial decomposition makes them useful for identification. This study tends to compare the usefulness of maxillary and mandibular canine teeth in gender determination in a Nigerian population. The study subjects were 60 males and 60 females from Niger Delta, Nigeria, in the age group 17-25 years. Maxillary and Mandibular impressions for all subjects were taken in alginate impression material and study models were prepared immediately in dental stone. 50 (males) and 51 (females) maxillary models; and 53 (males) and 51 (females) mandibular models were used for the study. In the mandible, the mean inter-canine distance and the right and left mesio-distal crown width as well as mandibular canine index, when compared for males and females showed statistically significant differences (P,0.05) In the maxilla, only the inter-canine distance and the left mesio-distal crown width exhibited statistically significant differences. The ability to determine gender using the mandibular canine showed a greater degree of sexual dimorphism but was poor using maxillary canine.