Sex estimation of the Greek mandible with the aid of discriminant function analysis and posterior probabilities

The current study aims to test the value of mandibular size in sex estimation of a contemporary Greek population. The produced standards are expected to enhance identification of heavily decomposed remains in contemporary forensic settings. Data from 70 mandibles from a contemporary Greek collection have been analysed using discriminant function analysis. We selected individuals of less than 66 years old (mean age for men= 55.3 +/8.8, for women= 50.9 +/-15.8) in order to avoid biases in the measurements due to alveolar absorbsion. A total of 5 measurements (chin height, bicondylar breadth, bigonial breadth, bimental breadth and minimum ramus height) were taken using traditional osteometric techniques. Data were analysed with SPSS 17. All variables were found to differ significantly between the sexes (p<0.05) with the exception of bimental breadth. Bigonial breadth was the most predictive variable which however did not exceed 71% of accuracy. The combination of bicondylar and bigonial breadth increased classification accuracy up to 80%. The results confirm the existence of sexual dimorphism in the Greek mandible, however the preliminary findings must be tested in a larger sample. Posterior probabilities are calculated in order to facilitate the decision-making of the forensic professional in post-Daubert forensic reality.