The document discusses identifying human remains using skull and mandible bones. It describes a 5-phase identification procedure including description, number of individuals, sex determination, age estimation, and stature estimation. Sex determination is most accurate using pelvis (95%) or skull and pelvis (98%) and is based on morphological and osteometric differences between males and females. Key skull features for sex determination are the supraorbital ridge, orbits, glabella, zygomatic arches, mastoid processes, and external occipital protuberance. Mandible features include the chin, ramus angle, and palate size. Age-related bone changes and fusion of sutures are also discussed.

1. Skull and Mandible

2. Bones for Identification
It consists of a five phase procedure:
• A general description and confirmation of the human origins of the material.
• The estimation and segregation of the minimum number of individuals.
• The determination of sex.
• The estimation of age.
• The estimation of stature.

3. Krongman ranks accuracy of sex determination using
• Pelvis at 95% ,
• skull at 90%,
• the pelvis & skull at 98% and
• long bones at 80%.

4. Determination of sex is based on two
methodological approaches
Morphological (based on Shape )
• Adult males and females differ in both general size and shape, and this variation
is reflected in the skeletal anatomy.
Osteometric (based on bone dimensions)
• Males longer or larger than females.

5. • Age Changes in Craniofacial Bones
• Neonatal : Edentulous jaws, orbit size relatively large
• I year : Fusion of midline symphysis of mandible, Metopic sutures of
two halves of frontal bone fuse, Lat. Sphenoidal synchondrose fuse.
• Fontanelles: Post & ant. Lateral fuse by 3 months.
• Ant. Fontanelle by 1 ½ yr (18 MONTHS).
• 3 years : Condylar portion of occipital bone fuses with squamous part
of petrous temporal bone.
• 5 years :Condylar position of occipital bone fuses with basiocciput.

6. Sphenooccipital Synchondrosis
• [between basal part of occipital bone & adj. body of sphenoid] –
Major skull cartilage centre, fuses by 18-21 years – most useful
skeletal ageing factor.

7. Neonatal skull
• The metopic suture (arrow) between the two halves of the frontal bone
fuses at about 2-6year, but there are racial variations.

8. Anterior Fontanellae – 18 months

9. Skull
• The skull is a bony structure which serves as the general
framework for the head.
• The skull supports the structures of the face and protects
the head against injury.
• The skull can be subdivided into two parts: the cranium
and the mandible.

12. The features that indicate sex are :
• General appearance
• Supra orbital ridges
• Orbits
• Glabella
• Zygomatic arches
• Mastoid processes
• External occipital protuberance
• Mandible
• Palate

13. MALE SKULL FEMALE SKULL
• When compared, the female skull appears smaller
and more gracile.
• The male skull is usually larger and more rugged.

14. Supraorbital ridges

15. ORBITS
SQUARISH WITH ROUNDISH MARGINS ROUNDISH WITH SHARP MARGINS
MALE FEMALE

16. • Male skull is larger, has a more sloping
forehead.
• Female skull is smaller and retains frontal
and parietal bossing.

17. Glabella
MALE FEMALE
Well developed Ill developed

18. Zygomatic arches
• In females, the zygomatic arch is less pronounced, and tends to not extend
posteriorly beyond the external auditory meatus.
• In males, the zygomatic arch is more pronounced or robust, and tends to extend
posteriorly beyond the external auditory meatus.
• Its wider in males compared to females.

19. Mastoid Processes
• The mastoid processes are located on the inferior portion of the temporal bone,
just posterior to the external auditory meatus.
Larger and blunt – Male
Smaller and pointed - Female

20. External Occipital Protuberance

21. Skull Male female
Forehead Steeper/ sloping Vertical
Glabella More pronounced Less pronounced
Fronto - nasal junction Distinct angulation Smoothly curved
Supra - orbital ridge Prominent Less prominent
Orbit Square, lower, relatively smaller,
round margins
Round, higher, relatively larger,
sharp margins
Zygomatic arch More pronounced Less pronounced
Parietal eminence Small Large
Mastoid process Medium to large, round , blunt Small to medium, smooth,
pointed
Digastric groove More deep Less deep
Occipital condyles Large Small
Foramen magnum Relatively large and long Relatively small and round
Palate Larger, broader, U shape Small , tends more to parabola

22. MALE FEMALE

23. Suture Age
Metopic suture Obliterates at 2-6 yrs
Basilar suture Obliterates at 18-21 yrs
Sagittal suture Obliterates at 30-35 yrs
Coronal suture Obliterates at 35-40 yrs
Lambdoid suture Obliterates at 45-50 yrs
Squamous
suture
Obliterates at 60 yrs
Spheno-parietal
suture
Obliterates at 70 yrs
Suture closes little latter in females than in males

24. Racial differences

25. Mandible
• The mandible together with the maxilla, the largest and strongest bone of the face .
• It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place.

26. MANDIBULAR ANGLE
• Infancy- 160 – 175
• 1 – 3years - 150 - 160
• 6 – 12years - 125 - 140
• 15-17years - 120 - 130
• 18-21years - 900-125
• 30-40years - 950-115
• > 40 year - obtuse angle

27. MANDIBULAR CHARACTERISTICS USEFUL
IN AGEING

29. Chin (anterior mandible)
The male mandible
tends to have a
“square” shape.
The female mandible
tends to have a
“pointed chin”.

30. RAMUS (rear of the mandible)
• Mandible in the male is closer to a right angle than the
female.
• In the female, the ramus is an obtuse angle to the lower
jaw bone, i.e., greater than 90 degrees.
• The ramus in the male is wider and larger.
MALE FEMALE

31. PALATE
Larger, wider and broader Smaller and narrower
MALE FEMALE

32. Mandible Male Female
Size Larger and
thicker
Smaller and
thinner
Chin Square Rounded
Body height at
symphysis
Greater Smaller
Angle of body
and ramus
Less obtuse,
prominent
and everted
More obtuse,
not prominent
, not everted
Condyles Larger smaller