Evaluation of Techniques for Cleaning Embalmed Cadaver Bones.

Objective: The present study was conducted to find new technique for development of bone specimens from cadavers. Material andmethods: Long bones, skull and other bones from embalmed cadaver were taken and cleansed by variousmethods. Fourmethods were employed for preparing specimens. In 1stmethod boneswere boiled in tap water for 7-8 hours on gas stove. In 2nd method bones were immersed in water with addition of detergent at constant temperature. In 3rd method bones were kept at constant temperature in water without addition of detergent. In 4th method bones were buried for onemonth under superficial surface of soil during rainy season after boiling the bones for 7-8 hours Observations: Use of detergent in warmwater (65oC) was good for cleaning long bones while best result for long bones as well as skull was seen with boiling followed by burial of embalmed specimens. Results were found as expected. Time consumed in the present study was less than old classical methods. Bones specimens formed were of high quality. Conclusions: Preparation of bone specimen by embalmed cadaver can be of immense value and time saver for many research institutes to get their self-prepared specimens. There are many more ways which has to be modified or rediscovered in this area of research, which has been neglected so far.

Sex determination in north Indians using mandibular canine index.

Teeth are an excellent material in living and non-living populations for anthropological, genetic, odontologic and forensic investigations. Amongst all teeth, the mandibular canines are found to exhibit greatest sexual dimorphism. Rao et al (1989) used the mandibular canine index for sex determination and found it to give satisfactory results. Muller et al (2001) concluded that Rao et al’s method can only be used in case of correct lower anterior dental alignment and by using the standard mandibular canine index of the local population. The present study endeavors to establish the effectiveness of mandibular canine index in predicting sex in North Indian population taking correct dental alignment into consideration. It was seen that with the standard mandibular canine index, it was possible to detect sex in North Indian population to an extent as high as 75%. This study establishes the existence of a statistically significant sexual dimorphism in the morphometry of mandibular canines in North Indian population.