Reading: Sexual Dimorphism in Turkish Forearm Bones

Forearm Bones and Sexual Variation in Turkish Population

By I˙brahim U¨ zu¨ n, MD, Mehmet Yazar I˙zcan, PhD,Þ and Osman C¸ elbiz, MD

In the field of forensic anthropology, professionals know that there is a large degree of skeletal variation between populations. So when building a biological profile of unidentified remains, a forensic anthropologist must familiarize himself with (or create) a model standard for that specific population. This article reports a study that was done to analyze sexual dimorphism in forearm bones of individuals of Turkish descent.

The study consisted of 38 females with an average age of 36, and 42 males with an average age of 40. Various measurements were taken from the radius and ulna from each individual and a standard was established for use in identifying sex. The classification accuracy was 92% for the radius and 91% for the ulna. Other studies on the use of the forearm in determining sex were performed on Japanese, British, and black and white American populations. The Japanese study yielded 96% classification accuracy in the radius, with 90% in the ulna. The British study reported an overall 85% accuracy while the black American study showed 82%, and the white American study came out with an overall 89% accuracy of classification. The value of forearm bones in sex estimation varies depending on the population.

This study has proven that sex can be accurately estimated using the bones of the forearm in the Turkish population. Some other populations, such as Americans, feature less sexual dimorphism thereby making sex determination via forearm bones less accurate. Each population must be studied individually and male/female standards must be established for each population. For example, using the Turkish standard against bones of African descent will likely cause error in the estimation of sex.

Reference:

I˙brahim U¨ zu¨ n, MD, Mehmet Yazar I˙zcan, PhD,Þ and Osman C¸ elbiz, MD 

        (2011). Forearm Bones and Sexual Variation in Turkish Population. 

        American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology; 00(00), 1-4.