1Departments of Biomedical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, International Medical School (IMS), Management and Science University (MSU), Malaysia
Department of Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, Mansoura University, Egypt
Identification of an individuals’ sexis very important in civil and criminalcases.
The present study was designed to identify the sexual characterization among different Malaysian races by cranial measurements.
The present study was performed on 242 volunteers (121 male and 121 female) from different Malaysian races which include Malay, Chinese, and Indian aged above 18 years old and in a normal healthy state with no craniofacial deformity. The measured parameter was cranial length, cranial width and cranial circumference. The measurements were done by using a digital vernier calliper and calibrated measuring tape. Written informed consent was obtained from the respondents before the research is carried out. Resultsshowed statistically significant gender differences in cranial parameters among the threestudied Malaysian races. While there were no significant gender differences in the Cephalic index in Chinese and Indian population, it is significantly different in Malay population (P=0.001). The dominant type of head shape in Malay population was ultrabrachycephalic (43.9%) in male and mesocephalic (43.9%) in female. Conclusions: the studied cranial measurements can be used for race identification of the Malaysians from other populations. For intraracial differentiation, CW, and CI can be used to differentiate females but not males from the three studied Malaysian races. Measurements for sexual characterization include CC and CI in Malay, CL and CW in Chinese and CL, CW and CC in Indians.
Cranial, facial, cephalic index, head shape
