Assessment of the cut-off point of mesiodistal and buccolingual widths of permanent teeth for determination of sex

The sizes of teeth are important in forensic dentistry, orthodontics, prosthodontics, anatomy, and even anthropological studies. To date, no research has been carried out in the Iranian race to estimate the cut-off point for determination of sex based on dental measurements. In the present study, cut-off points of tooth measurements were estimated in an Iranian population.

In this cross-sectional study, the mesiodistal and buccolingual dimensions (MD and BL, respectively) of all the teeth (except the wisdom teeth) were measured by a digital caliper in 78 healthy dental students (37 males, 41 females); the subjects had all the teeth except the third molars. The tooth dimensions were compared using t-test. Using the ROC curve, cut-off points of mesiodistal and buccolingual measurements of the teeth were calculated (α=0.05).

Of 56 measurements made in the upper and lower jaws, 14 maxillary and 10 mandibular measurements were significantly different between men and women (p value < 0.05). Of 56 dental measurements, 24 had cut-off points that could be used to determine sex.

Under the limitations of the present study, there are considerable differences in dental measurements of many teeth between Iranian men and women. It might be possible to use these differences in determining the gender of a living person or a body. Further studies are recommended.