Question 2: Male or Female?

Question 2 - Is a male human skull different from that of a female? If yes, how?

So now we shall proceed with question 2 of part 1 ! Gender is an important aspect in forensic dentistry and is one of the key features to be identified.

Okay, okay. We already know that men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Of course, there are lots of differences between us that will reiterate that statement, but, from a dental standpoint, are our teeth so different from one another that they too are from an alien planet?

But before we begin brainstorming on this interesting aspect, we should first understand the anatomy of the skull! And here (below) is a very simple and easy to understand video on the anatomy of the skull!

Anatomy of Skull

Now that we obtained a clear understanding of the anatomy of the skull, we can attempt in figuring the gender of the child! BUT hold on right there!

A very important note to be clear is that it is generally not possible to give a gender to the skull, as it has not passed puberty and is starting to show some of the characteristics appropriate to its sex. Since the hormones are yet to wake up and carry out their amazing jobs, the sex of the child is nowhere near to be identified.

HOWEVER, there are a few features whereby (forensic dentists) can look out for and keep an extra eye for these few features, all listed below!

  

Skull (Cranium and Mandible)

Male Skulls:

• Generally larger than female.
• Larger projections behind the ears.
• Larger brow ridges, with sloping, less rounded (mastoid processes) forehead.
• Square chin with a more vertical greater definition of muscle attachment areas (acute) angle of the jaw on the back of the head. 

 

Female Skulls:

• Smoother bone surfaces where muscles attach (mastoid processes).
• Smaller projections behind the ears.
• Less pronounced brow ridges, with more pointed chin.
• Larger, obtuse vertical forehead angle of the jaw.
• Sharp upper margins of the eye orbits.

                                                                                                  

 As you can see below, here are two gorgeous looking models! Apart from their teeth being shiny bright white, it can be seen that the male teeth is slightly larger than the female’s teeth. In most cases, generally the males teeth are larger than the females teeth!

However do take note that there could be variations at times

 

 Next up, let's look at the palate of the skull (the roof of the mouth). The male has a larger size of palate compared to female. *An easy way to remember this is that, generally males eat more than woman, hence the larger palate!

 

And below , is an image of the zygomatic arch of both males and females, and you may find a difference in the zygomatic arch (cheek bone). As in many examples, the male is in domination again. The zygomatic arch is wider in males and narrower in females.

 

 Contour of the face is another distinct feature whereby the males have skull which is longer and the chin is bigger and protrudes more forwards, the skull is rugged due to its muscular make up, and the zygomatic bones are also more massive. While in females, the skull is rounded with the facial bones being more smoother, with jaws mandible and the maxilla being smaller! Which makes sense, as girls usually have a smaller body frame compared to males!

Picture below shows the side by side comparison of males and female skull and contour of face.

 A&B ( males) while C&D (females)

 

Below is a table, which we have compiled for easier comparison and reference between the difference of male and females in terms of the dental aspect.  

Aspects                                   Male skull                                            Female skull

Weight                                    Heavier                                                Lighter

Size                                         Larger than female                              Smaller than male

Thickness                               Thicker                                                Thinner

Forehead                                 Slightly sloping                                   Vertical

Vault of the Skull                   Vault is more rounded                        Vault is flatter

Supraorbital margin                More rounded                                     Sharp

Mastoid process                      Large                                                  Small

Tympanic plate                       Large & margins more rounded         Small & margins less rounded

With that, we hope that it is now much clearer to identify the differences between a male and a female in terms of the dental aspect in forensic dentistry! :)

References

1) http://www.forensic-dentistry.info/wp/

2)Fehrenbach, Margaret J. 2011. 3rd ed. Ilustrated Dental Embryology, Histology, and Anatomy.