Characterizing sex using anthropometric variables of the human hip bone remains from museum collections in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Sex estimation is an important step for identification and construction of biological profile of skeletal remains which leads to identification in forensics. The hip bone is the one of the most frequently used bones in sex estimation. In this study, we examined human hip bones sourced from the museum collection of the Department of Anatomy at the University of Ilorin to assess their suitability for determining sex in skeletal remains.

METHODOLOGY: Eighty-nine (89) hip bones were collected, analyzed and classified as either male or female based on morphology, total pelvic height, iliac width, pubic length, spinosciatic length, acetabular diameter, vertical acetabular diameter, ischiopubic length, ilium length, ischial length, ischiopubic and coxal indices. The purposive sampling method was employed in this study, in which bones meeting the inclusion criteria were selected.

RESULTS: Results after statistical analysis indicated that pubic length, acetabular diameter, ischial length, and Ischiopubic index showed statistically significant differences, all of which were significantly higher in males compared to females (p<0.05). However, when comparing between males and females using pelvic height, iliac width, spinosciatic length, vertical acetabular diameter, ischiopubic length, ilium length, and coxal index did not show statistical significance with values (P>0.05).

CONCLUSION: Based on these findings, it can be said that the hip bone is a standard, ideal and useful bone in sex estimation. The variability in hip bone for estimation based on race, nationality or ethnicity in Nigeria and relationship between age and pevimetry for both sexes should be given attention and further investigated.