Review Articles

Recent advances in sex identification of human skeletal remains in South Africa

Mubarak A. Bidmos, Victoria E. Gibbon, Goran Štrkalj
South African Journal of Science | Vol 106, No 11/12 | a238 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajs.v106i11/12.238 | © 2010 Mubarak A. Bidmos, Victoria E. Gibbon, Goran Štrkalj | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 22 April 2010 | Published: 15 November 2010

About the author(s)

Mubarak A. Bidmos, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Victoria E. Gibbon, Purdue University, United States
Goran Štrkalj, Macquarie University, Australia

Abstract

We review methods of sex estimation from human skeletal remains in South Africa within the forensic context. Sex is one of the key variables in obtaining a biological profile of the individual or population whose remains are analysed. Sex estimation based on the morphological characteristics of skeletal elements is population specific and thus the establishment of regional criteria is one of the imperatives for modern forensic anthropology. A literature review was carried out wherein the available methods of sex identification (morphological, metrical, geometric morphometrics and molecular) from South African skeletal material were critically examined. The approaches to sex estimation based on bone morphology have a long and productive history in South Africa. A number of approaches providing accurate results on the local populations have been developed. Research in molecular sex determination methods is still in its infancy in South Africa and the first innovative studies appeared only in recent years. While each of the four methods analysed is bounded by a number of constraints, they seem to complement each other and provide the best results when applied in conjunction with each other.

Keywords

discriminant function analysis; forensic anthropology; geometric morphometric; metrical method; molecular method; morphological method; sex estimation; South Africa

Metrics

Total abstract views: 2487
Total article views: 6032

Reader Comments

Before posting a comment, read our privacy policy.

Post a comment (login required)

 

Crossref Citations

1. Evaluation and comparison of linear and diagonal odontometry of first molars as a tool for gender discrimination; assessed in a population from Maharashtra
Vinita V. Murgod, MP Vinodkumar, Vina R. Vaswani
Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology  vol: 27  issue: 1  first page: 80  year: 2023  
doi: 10.4103/jomfp.jomfp_215_21

2. Identification of age and sex based on knee radiography
Sanaa M. Aly, Biswas Shrestha, Duan Jun Hong, Ahmed Omran, Wei Wang
Forensic Science International  vol: 267  first page: 231.e1  year: 2016  
doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2016.08.001

3. Fetal sex determination in light of interdisciplinary current studies: a forensic anthropological approach
Özlem MEHDER
Journal of Contemporary Medicine  vol: 10  issue: 1  first page: 131  year: 2020  
doi: 10.16899/jcm.598318

4. The usability of the ratio of bi-humerus breadth to maximum pelvic breadth in sex estimation
E. Senol, C. Celik, I. Tamsel, A. Kaya, H. Guler, B. Karadayi
Annals of Human Biology  vol: 49  issue: 7-8  first page: 305  year: 2022  
doi: 10.1080/03014460.2022.2144446

5. Assessment and improvement of sex estimation standards for application in Holocene San and Khoekhoe populations
Sadiyah Malek, Judith C. Sealy, Victoria E. Gibbon
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology  vol: 33  issue: 3  first page: 489  year: 2023  
doi: 10.1002/oa.3221

6. Three-dimensionally derived interlandmark distances for sex estimation in intact and fragmentary crania
Candice Small, Lynne Schepartz, Jason Hemingway, Desiré Brits
Forensic Science International  vol: 287  first page: 127  year: 2018  
doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.02.012

7. Sex estimation using orbital measurements in the Croatian population
Elvira Krešić, Željana Bašić, Ivan Jerković, Ivana Kružić, Mislav Čavka, Igor Erjavec
Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology  vol: 19  issue: 3  first page: 303  year: 2022  
doi: 10.1007/s12024-022-00528-8

8. The value of mandible measurements in gender prediction for the Iranian adult population
Mitra Akhlaghi, Shayesteh Vasigh, Zahra Khalighi, Vahid Yousefinejad
Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences  vol: 46  issue: 2  first page: 127  year: 2014  
doi: 10.1080/00450618.2013.807358

9. Second and third lumbar vertebral parameters for prediction of sex, height, and age in the Iranian population
Mohammadreza Khaleghi, Azadeh Memarian, Babak Shekarchi, Hamed Bagheri, Nazanin Maleki, Nasrin Safari
Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology  vol: 19  issue: 3  first page: 364  year: 2022  
doi: 10.1007/s12024-022-00554-6

10. An exploration of sacral morphology using geometric morphometrics and three-dimensionally derived interlandmark distances
Tamara Lottering, Jason Hemingway, Candice Small
International Journal of Legal Medicine  vol: 136  issue: 4  first page: 1051  year: 2022  
doi: 10.1007/s00414-021-02724-7

11. Sex estimation using the first lumbar vertebra by geometric morphometric analysis of 3D computed tomography in the Malaysian population.
Afiana Rohmani, Mohamed Swarhib Shafee, Nik Azuan Nik Ismail, Helmi Hadi, Faridah Mohd Nor
Forensic Imaging  vol: 30  first page: 200511  year: 2022  
doi: 10.1016/j.fri.2022.200511

12. A review of sex estimation techniques during examination of skeletal remains in forensic anthropology casework
Kewal Krishan, Preetika M. Chatterjee, Tanuj Kanchan, Sandeep Kaur, Neha Baryah, R.K. Singh
Forensic Science International  vol: 261  first page: 165.e1  year: 2016  
doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2016.02.007

13. Sexual dimorphism and sex estimation: Review in forensic odontology
Brijesh Kumar Negi, Deepak Gurung
Indian Journal of Health Sciences and Biomedical Research KLEU  vol: 17  issue: 3  first page: 192  year: 2024  
doi: 10.4103/kleuhsj.kleuhsj_459_24

14. Developing a fully applicable machine learning (ML) based sex classification model using linear cranial dimensions
Ivan Jerković, Željana Bašić, Elvira Krešić, Nika Jerković, Krešimir Dolić, Mislav Čavka, Ana Bedalov, Šimun Anđelinović, Ivana Kružić
Scientific Reports  vol: 14  issue: 1  year: 2024  
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-82073-8

15. Gender determination from the mesiodistal dimension of permanent maxillary incisors and canines: An odontometric study
Rahul Srivastava, Bhuvan Jyoti, Prakash Jha, Manas Gupta, Parvathi Devi, Raviraj Jayaram
Journal of Indian Academy of Oral Medicine and Radiology  vol: 26  issue: 3  first page: 287  year: 2014  
doi: 10.4103/0972-1363.145007

16. A new method of estimating age-at-death using patellar morphology
Thom Kaledzera, Amanda Alblas, Nadine Rampf
Forensic Science International: Reports  vol: 8  first page: 100339  year: 2023  
doi: 10.1016/j.fsir.2023.100339

17. Development of discriminant functions to estimate sex in upper limb bones for mixed ancestry South Africans
Palesa Mokoena, Brendon K. Billings, Victoria Gibbon, Mubarak A. Bidmos, Pedzisai Mazengenya
Science & Justice  vol: 59  issue: 6  first page: 660  year: 2019  
doi: 10.1016/j.scijus.2019.06.007

18. Estimating sex using discriminant analysis of mandibular measurements from a modern Greek sample
Andreas Bertsatos, Konstantina Athanasopoulou, Maria-Eleni Chovalopoulou
Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences  vol: 9  issue: 1  year: 2019  
doi: 10.1186/s41935-019-0133-7

19. A importância dos exames de imagens odontológicos na identificação humana: uma revisão sistematizada da literatura
Yasmin Caldas de Macêdo Abrantes Rodrigues de Oliveira, Mara Ilka Holanda de Medeiros BATISTA, Maria do Socorro Dantas de ARAUJO
Revista Brasileira de Criminalística  vol: 12  issue: 4  first page: 52  year: 2023  
doi: 10.15260/rbc.v12i4.565