Sexual dimorphism in mandibular morphometry: a comparative cone beam computed tomography study of Egyptian and Saudi populations

Introduction
Mandibular morphometry is a critical tool in forensic anthropology for sex determination.

Objective
This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of mandibular measurements obtained through cone beam com-puted tomography (CBCT) for sex determination within Egyptian and Saudi populations.

Material and methods
CBCT scans from 120 individuals (aged, 21-60 years) were analyzed to measure key mandibular parameters, in-cluding ramus height and breadth, coronoid and condylar height, bigonial breadth, and position of mental fo-ramen. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 20.0 software. Data normality was assessed using Shapiro-Wilk test. Descriptive statistics included range, mean, standard deviation, and median. Student’s t-test was applied to compare normally distributed variables between groups, with 95% confidence intervals calculated for mean differences. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results
Significant sexual dimorphism was identified in mandibular measurements in both populations. Egyptian males exhibited greater maximum ramus breadth, bigonial breadth, coronoid height, condylar height, and ramus height compared with Egyptian females (p < 0.05). Similarly, Saudi males demonstrated significantly larger ra-mus height, mental inferior height, bigonial breadth, and coronoid height than Saudi females (p < 0.001). Comparative analysis revealed that Egyptian males had significantly greater maximum and minimum ramus breadth than Saudi males (p < 0.001), while Saudi males showed higher condylar height and ramus height (p < 0.05). Among females, Saudi participants exhibited significantly larger condylar height, whereas Egyptian females had greater minimum ramus breadth (p < 0.001).

Conclusions
Our findings confirm clear differences in mandibular measurements between males and females among both Egyptian and Saudi populations, highlighting significant sexual dimorphism. Egyptian males displayed greater maximum ramus breadth and minimum ramus breadth, while Saudi males exhibited greater condylar and ra-mus heights. These variations underline the importance of considering population-specific characteri­stics when developing forensic identification standards.