Morphometry and Sexual Dimorphism of the Human Clavicle in South Indian Population

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 Inda. 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 Mid-shaft Circumference than female clavicles. KEY WORDS: Anthrozoology, Clavicle, Morphometry, Skeletal Remains, Mid-Shaft Circumference.

The investigation of the number and localization of the foramen nutricium on the clavicle and its relationship with other clavicular parameters

“…Situations such as asymmetric vascularization, lateralized behavior, activity-related changes, or greater mechanical loading of the clavicle on the dominant hand side may be possible explanations for clavicle asymmetry [23]. In studies conducted according to gender, it has been reported that characteristics of the clavicle such as length, thickness and weight are larger in men [2,3,17,19,29]. Since there was no gender record of the bones used in our study, a comparison with the literature could not be made.…”