Open Access, Peer-reviewed
pISSN 2671-5651
eISSN 2671-566X
    Korean J Phys Anthropol. 2015 Dec;28(4):239-245. Korean.
    Published online Dec 30, 2015.
    https://doi.org/10.11637/kjpa.2015.28.4.239
    Copyright © 2015 Korean Association of Physical Anthropologists
    Original Article

    Non-metric Study of the External Occipital Protuberance for Sex Determination in Koreans: Using Three-dimensional Reconstruction Images

    Deog-Im Kim,1 and Seung-Ho Han2
      • 1Department of Nursing, College of Nursing, Keimyung University, Korea.
      • 2Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Korea.
    • Correspondence to: Seung-Ho Han (Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University), Email: monami@cau.ac.kr
    Received November 20, 2015; Revised December 22, 2015; Accepted December 24, 2015.

    Abstract

    The most essential biological profiles in physical and forensic anthropology are age, sex, and populations to be determined. In case of dealing intact skeletons, experts can often determine sex with high accuracy. The external occipital protuberance (EOP) is one of the site among morphologic traits which is used to determine human sex. This study suggests the possibility to determine the sexual dimorphism using the EOP and surrounding anatomical structures in Koreans.

    After three-dimensional reconstruction of the skull model from Digital Korean Human Databse, the three parts were evaluated using a classification system based on Broca, Gülekon and Turgut. To determine for scoring, this study was used two in two different ways to observe the skull model; one was a lateral view and the other was turning the skull models. In a lateral view, the shape of the occipital area was classified as 'flat' or 'convex' type. After then the scores of the anatomical structures were converted into 4-digits code.

    In females, the skull was more convex in shape than males but the EOP and inion were lesser projection. In the lateral and turning views, the most common pattern was Type 2 in both sexes. The most common digit code was 2-2-2-0 in males, 2-2-2-1 in females. The digit code is better than simple scoring system for determining sex. The skull in Koreans were more feminine than in other populations in both sexes.

    Keywords
    Skull; External occipital protuberance; Sex determination; Non-metric method; CT images

    Figures

    Fig. 1
    Bony landmarks of skull. A, lateral view; B, posterior view; LN, left superior nuchal line; RN, right superior nuchal line; EOP, external occipital protuberance; arrow head, inion; arrow, external occipital protuberance.

    Tables

    Table 1
    Distribution of the shape of the skull on lateral view according to sex. [unit: n (%)]

    Table 2
    Distribution of the external occipital protuberance on lateral view according to sex and methods. [unit: n (%)]

    Table 3
    Distribution of bony landmarks on turning view according to sex. [unit: n (%)]

    Table 4
    The digit codes to determine sex using prominent of both superior nuchal line, external occipital protuberance, and inion. [unit: n]

    Table 5
    Comparison of classification of the external occipital protuberance with other study. [unit: n (%)]

    Table 6
    Comparison of classification by Broca's method [13] on lateral view and turning view according to sex in this study. [unit: n (%)]

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    MeSH Terms
    Classification
    Female
    Forensic Anthropology
    Humans
    Male
    Skeleton
    Skull
    Metrics
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