Analysis of the hard-tissue menton shape in adult South Africans using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans

Braun, Sandra; Ridel, Alison F.; L'Abbé, Ericka N.; Oettlé, Anna C. (24 August 2023). Analysis of the hard-tissue menton shape in adult South Africans using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans (Unpublished). In: Faculty Research Day, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria. August 24, 2023.

Text Sandra_Braun_UP_Faculty_Day_2023_POSTER.pdf - Other Restricted to registered users only Available under License BORIS Standard License. Download (723kB)

Background: In forensic anthropology, the biological profile is based on human variation. To increase understanding shape variation of the mental region, this study analyzed the influence of population affinity and sex on the menton in adult black and white South Africans, using geometric morphometric methods (GMM).
Methods: We used cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of 291 adult dental patients from the Oral and Dental Hospital, University of Pretoria. We placed eleven standard craniometric landmarks on the menton, mandible, and maxilla of three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions by automatic landmarking and analyzed them by applying GMM. In addition, a subtle shape matrix of seven landmarks was created for a focused analysis of the menton only. Finally, we tested the reproducibility of the landmarks placement with a dispersion analysis.
Results and Discussion: The landmarks used in this study were reproducible, with an overall dispersion of less than 1 mm. Population affinity significantly influenced menton shape, with P-values = 0.001 in the complete sample and within the sex groups. Differences between sexes for these seven landmarks were also statistically significant (P-values 0.001 to 0.003) in the complete sample, but not within population groups in isolation. The accuracy for estimation of population affinity by discriminant function analysis was 86.9%.
Conclusion: The automatic landmarking improved landmark reproducibility. Population affinity and sexual dimorphism significantly influenced menton shape. However, shape analysis, including all eleven landmarks, was not significantly influenced by sex. This study supports further research focusing on the facial approximations for forensic identification in South Africa.

Interest & Impact

Downloads

1 since deposited on 05 Sep 2023
1 in the past 12 months

Citations

5 Citations in Web of Science ®
6 Citations in Scopus

Search

in Google Scholar™

Services

Actions (login required)

Edit item

Actions (login required)

Edit item