Sex estimation from two triangles on the skull

Sex estimation from skeletons is an important analysis to construct a biological profile of an unidentified skeletal remains. Triangle area is calculated with linear measurements taken from the skull, and models are being developed for sex estimation. The aim of this study was to derive discriminant function equations from two triangles in the skull. The material of the study consists of the skulls of 112 individuals (56 males and 56 females) which are dated to the Late Ottoman Period and collected from the Istanbul Karacaahmet Cemetery. Six linear measurements were taken from the skulls of this series of known sex, and the facial and occipital triangle areas were determined by the Heron formula. TEM, rTEM, R coefficients and ICC were calculated to determine the intra-observer and inter-observer error. The sex discrimination power of each criterion was evaluated by ROC curve analysis. T-test was used to determine the differences between the sexes, and discriminant function analysis was used to create formulas. In the study, it was determined that the intra-observer and inter-observer error rates of 6 measurements were low (TEM = 0.16-0.94 mm; rTEM = 0.74-2.08%; R = 0.91-0.99; ICC = 0.951-0.992). All variables differed significantly between sex (p<0.05). According to the ROC analysis, the sex discrimination power of the triangle areas was similar (AUC; occipital triangle area 0.727, facial triangle area 0.736). As a result of the present study, it was determined that the 4 equations established correctly classified sex at rates ranging from 67% to 73.2%.