[Efficacy of the canine mandibular index in determining the sex of a Peruvian population: a cross-sectional study].

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of the Canine Mandibular Index (CMI) in a university population in northern Peru.

Material and methods: Descriptive, observational, cross-sectional and prospective studies. The sample consisted of 168 persons: 84 males and 84 females, students of health sciences from a private university in Piura (Peru), whose ages ranged from 18 to 35 years. Plaster models were made and, by using a calibrated digital vernier, the maximum mesiodistal width of the mandibular canine and the intercanine distance were measured. From the fraction of both magnitudes, the BMI was obtained, which was adjusted for the population studied. The efficacy for the sex estimation of this new cut point was estimated based on the AUC and Hanley and McNeil test.

Results: The new CMI found in our population was 0.258. Both the mesiodistal width of mandibular canine and the intercanine distance were shown to be sex-discriminatory (p < 0.05); there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in the mesiodistal diameter of the right and left canine, being possible to use either of the two.

Conclusions: The effectiveness of the CMI for sex estimation, with the estimated cut-off point for the population of northern Peru is 71.7 °%, this percentage is used for decision making, however it is recommended to complement other dental means based on odontometry and osteometry, since the certainty is not absolute.