Dental crown and arch shape for sex estimation using cone-beam computed tomography: a retrospective cross-sectional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24265/kiru.2026.v23n3.03Keywords:
Cuspid; Spiral Cone-beam Computed Tomography; Dental Arch; SexAbstract
Objective: To determine whether crown volume and dental arch shape can be used to estimate sex using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in Peruvian patients treated at a university dental clinic. Materials and Methods: A non-experimental, observational, retrospective, cross-sectional study. Crown volume was calculated for teeth 13, 23, 33, and 43 using axial CBCT for manual millimeter-level segmentation, delineating the contour from the cementoenamel junction to the incisal edge. The dental arch shape was classified as ovoid, square, and triangular. For this purpose, 100 CBCT images were used from Peruvian patients over 12 years of age, of both sexes. Univariate regression analysis and discriminant function analysis were employed. Results: Males have a greater crown volume compared to females; the ovoid dental arch shape was the most common in both sexes, but this is not a significant factor in sex determination. Teeth 33 and 43 had a higher accuracy rate compared to teeth 13 and 23. Conclusions: It was demonstrated that the crown volume of teeth 33 and 43 are significant predictors for sex estimation. However, the shape of the dental arch was not a reliable predictor of sex in this study population. Furthermore, CBCT serves as an additional tool to contribute to sex determination within legal and forensic sciences
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