Sex determination of Australian Aboriginal skulls by discriminant function analysis

Abstract

The technique of discriminant function analysis was applied to determine the sex of Australian Aboriginal skulls using data derived from standardized roentgenograms. Even when only a few well-defined landmarks were included, the functions, representing linear combinations of cranial variables, provided good discrimination. This approach proved more reliable in classification than applying previously reported functions derived for other populations. Recipientof an Auctralian Dental Research and Education Tru\t Undergraduate Vacation Rexarch Scholarship, I Y X I . features' and, for the mandible only, combination5 of metric and non-metric characters." Discriminant functions for the determination of sex have not been derived specifically for Australian Aboriginal populations and there are a number of problems involved in applying the sex ditcriminatory criteria of one population io another.' Brown,' for ' Hanihara K . Sex diagnosis of Japanese skull5 and xapulae by means o f discriminant function. J Anthrop Soc Nippon 1959;67: 191-7. ' Giley E. Elliot 0. Sex determination by discriminant function analytic o f crania. A m J Phya Anthrop 1963;21:53-68. ' Giles E. Sex determination by discriminant function analy,i\ o f Ihe mandible. A m J Phys Anthrop 1%4;22:129-36. Kajanoja P. Sex determination o f Finnith crania by discriminant function analysis. A m J Phys Anthrop 1966;24:29-34.

Determination of sex by discriminant function analysis and stature by regression analysis: a lateral cephalometric study

“…As differences exists in various races as regards of sexual differentiation what may be true for one human group may not be necessarily true for another, and the discriminant function technique were therefore applied for sexing skeleton from various populations to establish their specific standards of assessment [3,8,10,[15][16][17].…”

“…Ceballos and Rentschler [7] compared the postero-anterior radiographs of 100 male and 100 female adult skulls using four measurements: sagittal diameter, mastoid length, mandible width at the level of the mastoid tips and mandible angle width and claimed 88% success in sexing the skulls. Townsend [8] applied discriminant function analysis for sex determination using 15 variables obtained from frontal and lateral standardized radiographs of 80 Australian Aboriginal adult skulls (40 male and 40 female) and the functions provided successful classification for 80% or more of subjects. Inoue [9] studied lateral radiographic views of Japanese skulls of 100 male and 100 female for sex difference in forehead shape and quantified it with the Fourier analysis method.…”

Continuous tooth eruption in Australian aboriginal skulls

“…gle, development o f t fl e mastoid process, and It was modified to provide an appropriate section point for this population (Townsend et al, 1982).…”

Determination of Sex from Juvenile Crania by Means of Discriminant Function Analysis*,†

“…Previous studies by Ceballos and Rentschler (54), Townsend et al. (55), Hsiao et al. (56), Patil and Mody (57) and Veyre‐Goulet et al.…”