Journal of Punjab Academy of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology

Teeth provide excellent material in populations for anthropological, genetic, odontologic and forensic investigations. Their morphometry is known to be influenced by cultural, environmental and racial factors. The maxillary central incisors occupy a strategic anatomical position being in centre and in front of the upper arch. The present study defines the criteria of maxillary central incisor size for the North Indian population. It also emphasizes that there is no such thing as a ‘typical tooth’

The teeth by their formation and structure are indispensable in predicting sex. Whenever it is possible to predict sex, identification is simplified because then only persons of one sex need to be considered. The present study establishes the existence of a statistically significant sexual dimorphism in the morphometry of the maxillary central incisors. Perzigian (1976) and Nair et al (1999) have calculated the percentage dimorphism in Knoll and South Indian populations. The present pioneer study in North Indians, documents the dimorphism to be 3.84% and 4.52% for right & left maxillary central incisors respectively.