DETERMINATION OF SEX BY DISCRIMINANT FUNCTION ANALYSIS OF LINEAR DIAMETERS IN BOSNIAN HUMAN SKULLS

Objective: Sexual dimorphism manifests in all bodily structures, including bones, and as such is used to determine sex of skeletal remains. Two methodological approaches are used in skeletal sex determination - osteoscopic and osteometric. Our objectives were to determine the prediction (effectiveness) of sex determination based on observed craniometric (linear) diameters of the skulls and determine the most frequent and the least frequent craniometric (linear) skull diameters in our tested sample. Using the multivariate binary logistic regression, we tested the effect of craniometric (linear) diameters on sexual dimorphism in skulls.Methods and material: Our study was conducted on 211 macerated and degreased human skulls on which we measured seven linear diameters of the skull: L1, maximum cranial length, glabella-opisthion; L2, maximum cranial width, porion-porion; L3, maximum cranial height, vertex-porion; L4, maximum viscerocranium width, zygion-zygion; L5, upper face height, nasion-prosthion; L6, nasion-basion; L7, basion-prosthion.Results: Univariately, all seven observed craniometric (linear) skull diameters showed statistically significant effect on sex determination. Multivariately, statistical significance in sex determination was shown by three linear diameters: L2 (porion-porion), L4 (zygion-zygion) and L5 (nasion-prosthion), therefore, for sex determination of our sample population, we proposed the “L” model using these diameters.Conclusion: Growth of all seven linear diameters growing probability that the skull is classified as the skull of the male sex . Univariately and multivariately, linear diameter L4 (zygon-zygon) proved to be most effective in sex determination. The accuracy of sex determination in male skulls from our sample using the “L” model is 85%, while the accuracy of sex determination in female skulls is much lower and is 68%.