ABSTRACT
Background: In forensic anthropology, determining an individual’s sex is the fundamental criteria of identification, but this is a tough task that gets considerably more difficult when only a single bone, such as the clavicle, is available. In physical anthropology, determining the sex of a deceased individual is a fundamental prerequisite. Physical anthropologists have gotten more concerned about the difficulties of human identity in recent years. Traditional techniques of sexing bone are subjective and ineffective when absolute sexing precision is desired, hence this study. Methods: Measurement of clavicular length and circumference using an Osteometric board or sliding and Vernier Callipers product from 1128 dry clavicles of unknown sex and age procured from various medical institutions and departments of anthropology in south India. Length, inner angle, outer angle, the sum of angles, inner segment, middle segment, outside segment, width at the inner end at an inner angle, least width at conoid tubercle, at the outer end, and mid circumference have all been measured. Results and Discussion: The male mid-shaft circumference is 38.0±0.5mm on the right side and 36.5±0.5mm on the left side, whereas the female mid-shaft circumference is 31.4±0.3mm on the right side and 31.4±0.6mm on the left side. The length of the left clavicle is greater than the length of the right collarbone. The curvature of the right collarbone is higher than that of the left, resulting in a shorter right bone than the left. The clavicle of males has a higher mean across all parameters than females. Male clavicle length is more than female clavicle length, midshaft circumference is less in females than males, and breadth at an inner angle is shorter in females than men, all of which are statistically significant. The Mid-shaft Circumference as a sex-determination metric is statistically significant in differentiating the clavicle’s sex. This delivers a better result than clavicle weight since clavicle weight fluctuates with age and the health state of the individual. Male clavicles have a larger Midshaft Circumference than female clavicles.