Odontometric analysis of molars for sex determination

ABSTRACT

Aim: To investigate the existence of sexual dimorphism between the first and second permanentmolars. Methods: A cross-sectional, observational, blind study using comparative and statisticaldescriptive procedures. The sample included 50 pairs of plaster casts from undergraduate dentalstudents (25 men/25 women) from the Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa/PB, Brazil,aged 20-26 years. Odontometric measurements of first and second maxillary/mandibular, right/left permanent molars were performed. Mesiodistal (MD) and buccolingual/palatal (BL/BP) widthsand the distance between the lingual cusps of corresponding molars in opposite quadrants, weremeasured. The data were analyzed by Student’s t test and ANOVA with Bonferroni (p≤0.05).Results: The crowns of all first molars were statistically larger in men than in women (p<0.05).Maxillary and mandibular left second molars (#27 and #37) did not differ in their MD widths (p=0.66,p=0.75), whereas mandibular left and right second molars (#37 and #47) showed statisticallydifferent BL widths (p=0.007 and p=0.008). As to the distance between the lingual cusps, only thefirst left-to-right mandibular molars (#36-46) showed no sex dimorphism (p=0.107). Conclusions:Molars are larger in males than in females. Individually, first molars demonstrated higher evidenceof sex distinction than second molars.