Variations of the mandibular shape in extant hominoids: Generic, specific, and subspecific quantification using elliptical fourier analysis in lateral view.

While a number of studies have documented the mandibular variations in hominoids, few focused on evaluating the variation of the whole outline of this structure. Using an efficient morphometrical approach, i.e.

The human mandible in lateral view: elliptical fourier descriptors of the outline and their morphological analysis.

An original procedure based on new developments in elliptical Fourier methods associated with image analysis technics was applied to 117 human mandibles in lateral view (69 males, 48 females) in order to analyze interindividual variability and sexual dimorphism. Original parameters, called elliptical Fourier descriptors, allowed for the quantification of the shape of an outline irrespective of its morphological complexity, and provided a precise individual characterization. The use of step by step reconstructions with an increasing number of harmonics allowed for demonstration of the morphological contributions of the elliptical Fourier descriptors, and relationships to precise anatomical features were established.