Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences (2014) xxx, xxxxxx

H O S T E D BY Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences

journal homepage: www.ejfs.org

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Canine Index A Tool for Sex Determination

a,*
Shankar M. Bakkannavar , S. Manjunath b, Vinod C. Nayak a,
G. Pradeep Kumar a

a
Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Manipal, India
b
Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, AJ Shetty Medical College, Mangalore, India

Received 11 April 2014; revised 7 June 2014; accepted 23 August 2014

KEYWORDS Abstract Teeth are most useful tools in victim identication in the living as well as the dead in the
Identication; eld of forensic investigations. Their ability to survive in situations like mass disasters makes them
Victim identication; constructive devices. Many authors have measured crowns of teeth in both males and females and
Mesio-distal width; found certain variations. Canines, reported to survive in air crash and hurricane disasters, are per-
Canines; haps the most stable teeth in the oral cavity because of the labiolingual thickness of the crown and
Inter-canine distance the root anchorage in the alveolar process of jaws. Measurement of mesiodistal width of the
mandibular canines and intercanine distance of the mandible provides good evidence of sex
identication due to dimorphism. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of canine
index (CI) in the determination of sex.
2014 Hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Forensic Medicine Authority.

1. Introduction adjunct in identication when other body parts cannot be used

Identication through uncharacteristic features is the basis of
individuality of a person. The question of personal identity
arises in courts of law not only in the identication of criminals
but also in the identication of other persons and dead
bodies.1 In the case of mass disasters the problem of identity
of the dead arises in the case of dismembered or mutilated
bodies. Numerous methods using various body parts are in
use to establish the identity in such cases. Most of these meth-
ods have their own merits and limitations. But the tooth, the
most stable and hardest tissue in the body has been a useful
due to decomposition or mutilation.
Almost all teeth are used in establishing one or the other
parameter of identication. Teeth dimensions are widely used
to establish the sex of the individual. Canines, the most stable
teeth bear the greatest degree of sexual dimorphism, play a
highly valuable role in identication. Hence, their exclusive
use in odontometric sex assessment using the tooth dimensions
and canine index (CI) has been advocated before. The present
study establishes the impact of the canines in medicolegal iden-
tication. The study denes the canine index in the South
Indian population.

* Corresponding author. Address: Department of Forensic Medicine

2. Materials and methods
and Toxicology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal 576104, India.
Tel.: +91 820 2922450 (O), +91 9845303881 (M).
E-mail addresses: shankar.mb@manipal.edu, drvinay19@gmail.com The present study consisted of 500 students comprising 250
(S.M. Bakkannavar). males and 250 females in the age group of 1525 years belong-
Peer review under responsibility of Forensic Medicine Authority. ing to this region. This age group was selected as all canines
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejfs.2014.08.008
2090-536X 2014 Hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Forensic Medicine Authority.

Please cite this article in press as: Bakkannavar SM et al. Canine Index A Tool for Sex Determination, Egypt J Forensic Sci (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.ejfs.2014.08.008
2 S.M. Bakkannavar et al.

would have erupted by this age and attrition is expected to be

minimal2 and also the intercanine distance xed by the age of
12 years.3 Methods of study consisted of measuring the man-
dibular and maxillary canine widths and inter-canine distance
of respective jaws in these students.

2.1. Exclusion criteria

Subjects with following status of teeth were excluded from the

study.

1. Abnormal teeth alignment.

2. Subjects with missing anterior teeth.
3. Crowded or excessive spacing in the anterior teeth.
4. Abnormal over jet and overbite.
5. Caries teeth.
6. Subjects with bad/poor oral hygiene. Figure 2 Measurement of intercanine distance (Direct method).
7. Canine teeth with attrition.
8. Subjects with orthodontic treatment. The intercanine distance was also measured using coloured
9. Any trauma to canine teeth. drawing sheets (Indirect method). The subject was asked to
open his/her mouth wide. The coloured drawing sheet was
After selecting the subjects randomly and explaining aims placed between the acrylic sheet and black carbon paper and
of the study to them, written informed consent was obtained positioned in the oral cavity as shown in the gure (Fig. 3).
in the prescribed form. Measurements were taken intra orally Then the subject was asked to bite these sheets rmly and
on either side of the jaw using a digital callipers with a the impressions of the incisal surfaces of the teeth were
resolution of 0.01 mm with the provision to x it in the desired obtained on the drawing sheet. Using the digital caliper,
position so as to avoid any errors in recording the exact the inter canine distance markings on the drawing sheet, corre-
measurements of canines and a divider with pointed tips. sponding to the canine teeth were measured, and values noted,
The following measurements were taken in the subjects with as shown in the gure (Fig. 3). Yellow and pink coloured
the oral cavity wide open. drawing sheets were used to take the impressions of the
maxillary and mandibular teeth respectively. In case of
 Mesio-distal crown width of canines:4 (Fig. 1) non-pointed impression of the canine, the midpoint of the
impression was considered for inter canine distance.
Using a divider, the greatest mesio-distal width of a canine Readings obtained were subjected for analysis to derive
tooth at a contact point with the adjacent teeth was taken and conclusions. Further the canine index and standard canine
the value was measured by placing the two pointed ends of the index were calculated for all the four canines using the formula
divider in between jaws of the digital caliper and measurements cited by Muller et.al.5
were noted.
Mesio  distal crown width of canine
 Intercanine distance: (Figs. 2 and 3) Canine index
intercanine distance

The intercanine distance was measured using a digital cali- Standard canine index
per by placing the two pointed ends of its jaws over the canine mean male CI  SD mean female CI SD
tip and values were noted (Direct method).
2

Figure 1 Measurement of mesiodistal width of the canine.

Please cite this article in press as: Bakkannavar SM et al. Canine Index A Tool for Sex Determination, Egypt J Forensic Sci (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.ejfs.2014.08.008
Canine Index A Tool for Sex Determination 3

Figure 3 Measurement of intercanine distance (Indirect method).

Data obtained were quantied and analysed statistically using

Table 2 Gender wise distribution of Inter-canine Distances
SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, Version 11.5)
(ICD).
to determine the signicance of differences between the sex.
This was done through the use of various descriptive statistics ICD (mm) Range Mean S.D.
and comparison of group means. Sex was predicted based on Mandible Males 21.2627.78 25.25 1.22
the observed canine index and standard canine index for the Females 21.4927.90 24.75 1.08
South Indian Population. If the observed canine index was Maxilla Males 30.0239.51 34.17 1.68
more than the standard canine index, then the individual was Females 29.2037.22 33.47 1.32
considered to be male and if the observed canine index was less
than the standard canine index, then the individual was consid-
ered to be female.
Graph I : Right Mandibular Canine Index (R-MnCI)
Genderwise distribution
3. Results
250

200
No. of subjects

It was observed that the mean value of the mesiodistal crown

width of right and left mandibular canines in males was more 150
than their counterparts as depicted in Table 1. This value was
100
statistically signicant (p < 0.001). Similarly results were
noticed for the mesiodistal crown width of right and left max- 50
illary canines with statistically signicant values as shown in
0
the same table.
The mandibular and maxillary intercanine distances were as
shown in Table 2.
The Right Mandibular Canine Index in males ranged from R-MnCI Females
0.2358 to 0.3585 with a mean of 0.2855 0.0158, while it ran- Males
ged from 0.2400 to 0.3420 with a mean of 0.2784 0.0151 in
females as depicted in the Graph 1. This was statistically signif- Graph 1 Right Mandibular Canine Index (R-MnCI).
icant (p < 0.001).
The Left Mandibular Canine Index value in males ranged
from 0.2360 to 0.3603 with a mean of 0.2878 0.0161, and
in females it was 0.2444 to 0.3377 with a mean of 0.2784 Graph II : Left Mandibular Canine Index (L-MnCI)
0.0150 as depicted in the Graph 2. This was also statistically Genderwise distribution
signicant (p < 0.001). 160
The Right Maxillary Canine Index in males ranged from 140
No.of subjects

0.1890 to 0.2716 with a mean of 0.2286 0.0140, while it 120

100
80
60
Table 1 Gender wise distribution of mesiodistal crown widths 40
of canines. 20
0
Sex Mandibular canine Maxillary canine
Mean S.D. Mean S.D.
Right Male 7.20 0.44 7.80 0.45 L-MnCI
Female 6.89 0.41 7.55 0.45 Males
Left Male 7.26 0.44 7.85 0.45 Females
Female 6.94 0.41 7.60 0.44
Graph 2 Left Mandibular Canine Index (L-MnCI).

Please cite this article in press as: Bakkannavar SM et al. Canine Index A Tool for Sex Determination, Egypt J Forensic Sci (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.ejfs.2014.08.008
4 S.M. Bakkannavar et al.

Graph III : Right Maxillary Canine Index (R-MxCI)

Genderwise distribution Table 4 Gender predictability using mandibular canine index.
180 MnCI Sex Cases Percentage
160
No. of subjects

140 Right MnCI Males 183 (n = 250) 73.2

120
100 Females 188 (n = 250) 75.6
80 Total 371(n = 500) 74.2
60 Left MnCI Males 183 (n = 250) 73.2
40
20 Females 191 (n = 250) 76.8
0 Total 374 (n = 500) 74.8

Females
Table 5 Gender predictability using Maxillary Canine Index.
R-MxCI
Males MxCI Sex Cases Percentage
Right MxCI Males 158 (n = 250) 63.2
Graph 3 Right Maxillary Canine Index (R-MxCI).
Females 84 (n = 250) 33.6
Total 242(n = 500) 48.4
Left MxCI Males 160 (n = 250) 64
ranged from 0.1980 to 0.2415 with a mean of 0.2256 0.0085
Females 84 (n = 250) 33.6
in females as depicted in the Graph 3. This was not statistically Total 244 (n = 500) 48.8
signicant (p < 0.12).
The Left Maxillary Canine Index in males ranged from
0.1912 to 0.2736 with the mean of 0.2299 0.0142 and in 4. Discussion
females it ranged from 0.1986 to 0.2445 with a mean of
0.2272 0.0083 as depicted in the Graph 4. This was not Teeth help in forensic investigation to estimate age, determine
statistically signicant (p < 0.234). sex and race of a person even in decomposed and burnt bodies.
The standard canine index for the right and left mandibular Studies of sexual dimorphism provide information about the
canines were 0.2816 and 0.2837 respectively and for the right evolution of a population and for that matter, an individual
and left maxillary canines were 0.2243 and 0.2256 as shown too.6 In this study an attempt has been made to establish the
in Table 3. sex of a person by using mesiodistal width of canine teeth
Gender predictability using the standard canine index and and the respective intercanine distances in the South Indian
mandibular canine index (MnCI) showed acceptable results population.
as shown in Table 4 whereas the Maxillary Canine Index In our study, prediction of sex accurately using Right Man-
(MxCI) showed poor gender predictability as shown in dibular Canine Index was 73.2% for males and 75.6% for
Table 5. females with an overall accuracy of 74.2%. This value was
comparable with the study conducted by Kaushal et al. on a
North Indian population with an accuracy of 75%.2 Using
Graph IV : Left Maxillary Canine Index (L-MxCI)
Left Mandibular Canine Index, the accuracy of prediction of
Genderwise distribution sex was 73.2% for males and 76.8% for females with an overall
200 accuracy of 74.8%. This was in agreement with the study con-
ducted on North Indian population by Kaushal et al. with an
No.of Subjects

150
accuracy of 75%.2
100 The overall gender predictability using mandibular canine
index was 75%. Similar gender prediction has been reported
50
for North Indians (75%),2 South Indians (85.9%),7 Central
0 Karnataka in India (82.2%),8 PunjabiPakistani population
(76%),9 Egyptians10 and the Western Uttar Pradesh (North
India) population.11 But studies conducted by Muller et al.
on the French population showed a lower gender predictability
L-MxCI Females value (59.57%).5
Males Accuracy of prediction of gender using the Right Maxillary
Canine Index in our study was 63.2% for males and 33.6% for
Graph 4 Left Maxillary Canine Index (L-MxCI). females with an overall accuracy of 48.4%. Using the Left
Maxillary Canine Index, 64% of males and 33.6% females
were accurately predicted for gender with an overall accuracy
of 48.8%. The gender discrimination using Maxillary Canine
Table 3 Standard canine indices. Index showed poor statistical signicance.
Standard CI Value
Right MCI 0.2816 5. Conclusion
Left MCI 0.2837
Right MxCI 0.2243 It is evident from our study that only the mandibular canine
Left MxCI 0.2256 index is a good tool for determining sex. Along with other

Please cite this article in press as: Bakkannavar SM et al. Canine Index A Tool for Sex Determination, Egypt J Forensic Sci (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.ejfs.2014.08.008
Canine Index A Tool for Sex Determination 5

parameters, it increases the percentage accuracy of predicting 2. Kaushal S, Patnaik Dr VVG, Sood Dr V, Agnihotri Dr G. Sex
sex. It is a quick and easy method for sex identity. It is partic- determination in North Indians using mandibular canine index. J
ular signicant when more advanced methods for sex determi- Indian Acad Forensic Med 2004;26(2):459.
nation not readily available. However, they can only be used as 3. Proft WR. The development of orthodontic problemsContempo-
rary orthodontics. St. Louis, USA: The C.V. Mosby Company;
a supplemental tool, as the accuracy of MCI in gender identi-
1986. p. 84.
cation has never exceeded 87.5%. 4. Al-Rifaiy Mohammed Q, Aleem Abdullah M, Ashraf Igbal, Khan
Nazeer. Dimorphism of mandibular and maxillary canine teeth in
Funding establishing sex identity. Saudi Dent J 1997;9(1):1720.
5. Muller M, LupiPegurier L, Quatrehomme G, Bolla M. Odonto-
metrical method useful in determining gender and dental align-
No funding from any agency.
ment. Forensic Sci Int 2001;121:1947.
6. Camps FE. Gradwohls legal medicine. In: Identication by the skeletal
Conict of interest structures. 3rd ed. Bristol: John Wright and Sons; 1976. p. 110.
7. Rao NG, Rao NN, Pai ML, Kotian MS. Mandibular canine index
No conict of interest. a clue for establishing sex identity. Forensic Sci Int 1989;42:
24954.
8. Yadav S et al. Mandibular canine index in establishing sex
Ethical approval identity. Indian J Dent Res 2002;13(34):1436.
9. Mughal IA, Saqib AS, Manzur F. Mandibular canine index
As per institutional Ethics Committee. (MCI); its role in determining gender. Prof Med J 2010;17(3):
45963.
10. Hashim HA, Murshid ZA. Mesio-distal tooth width a compar-
References ison between Saudi males and females. Egypt Dent J 1987;39(1):
3436.
1. Rentoul Edgar, Smith Hamilton, editors. Glaisters medical 11. Reddy VM, Saxena S, Bansal P. Mandibular canine index as a sex
jurisprudence and toxicology, identication. London: Churchill determinant: a study on the population of western Uttar Pradesh.
Livingstone; 1973. p. 59100. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol 2008;12:569.

Please cite this article in press as: Bakkannavar SM et al. Canine Index A Tool for Sex Determination, Egypt J Forensic Sci (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.ejfs.2014.08.008