Abstract

We utilized 100 human skulls to study the morphology and morphometric parameters of the foramen magnum in south Indian population. The anteroposterior diameter and transverse diameter of the foramen magnum were measured by using Vernier calliper to the nearest millimetre. All measurements were tabulated followed by student “t” test and descriptive statistics were done in SPSS version to know the “p” value for the significance. The mean anteroposterior diameter of foramen magnum in males was 3.71 mm and in females it was 3.38 mm. The mean transverse diameter of foramen magnum in males was 3.20 mm and in females it was 3.04 mm. The statistical analysis of morphometry of the foramen magnum in relation to sex determination values are significant (P-Value of Foramen magnum anteroposterior diameter was 0.0001 and transverse diameter was 0.015). Some literatures revealed that anteroposterior diameter of the foramen magnum alone considered for unknown sex determination. Our study reveals significant role of the foramen magnum dimensions in identification of the unknown sex.

Key words: Foramen magnum, sexual dimorphism, morphometry