Sex estimation with morphometric and morphological characteristics of the crista galli.

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to analyze the dimensions of the crista galli (CG) in preserved skulls, and to examine the role of the morphometry and morphology of the CG on the sex estimation.

Methods: Anteroposterior, superoinferior, and laterolateral diameters of the CG were measured of 207 preserved adult skulls of Anatolia origin with known sex (108 males, 99 females) in the Anatolian population. CG were morphologically classified into three types according to the dimensions. The success of CG dimensions in sex determination was evaluated with ROC analysis, and univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analysis. The relationship between morphological types of the CG and sex was analyzed with the Chi-square test.

Results: The anteroposterior and superoinferior diameters of the CG significantly were longer in males than females while the laterolateral diameter of the CG was wider in females (p < 0.001). Superoposterior diameter (88.4%) of the CG showed higher sex classification accuracy for sex estimation compared to the laterolateral (82.6%) and anteroposterior diameters (80.6%). When all three parameters were used together, the sex classification accuracy rate was 94.2%. The presence of ossified and tubular types of CG identified the male sex with 85% and 74.6% accuracy rates, respectively while teardrop type CG identified female sex with a 72.2% accuracy rate.

Conclusion: CG exhibits sexual dimorphism both morphometrically and morphologically. The height, length, and width measurements and the morphological types of CG can be used in sex determination directly from the skull with high accuracy rates.