Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate possible differences in the location of the inferior alveolar canal in male and female Egyptians. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional retrospective study involved the evaluation of 210 CBCT scans of Egyptian individuals (18-70 years old). The inferior alveolar canal was localized by measuring 8 linear dimensions: 2 for the vertical localization of the mental foramen (superior and inferior to the mental foramen), 4 at the first molar bifurcation for the vertical and horizontal localization of the inferior alveolar canal (superior, inferior, buccal, and lingual to the inferior alveolar canal), and 2 for the horizontal localization of the mandibular foramen (anterior and posterior to the mandibular foramen). The measurements were statistically analyzed via comparative analysis, stepwise logistic regression, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: Six of the 8 measured distances differed to a statistically significant extent between the sexes. Regression analysis suggested a logistic function with a concordance index of 84%. The diagnostic accuracy capabilities of the linear measurements as sex predictors were calculated using ROC analysis, and the 6 best predictors for sex determination were selected and ranked from highest to lowest predictive power. Moreover, combining these 6 predictors increased the predictive power to 84%. Conclusion:The location of the inferior alveolar canal in the Egyptian population varies significantly by sex; accordingly, this anatomic landmark could be used as a reliable indicator of sexual dimorphism.

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Objective: To evaluate the differences in the measurements of the Foramen magnum (FM) in relation to sex in an Egyptian population using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).Material and Methods: One hundred and twenty retrospective CBCT scans of adult Egyptian individuals were included in this study (sixty males and sixty females). The maximum length (sagittal diameter) and the maximum width (transverse diameter) of the FM were measured on axial CBCT images, then the foramen magnum index (FMI) and foreman magnum area (using two different equations) were calculated. All the measurements were statistically analyzed.Results: It was found that all the FM measurements performed in this study were higher in males than that in females with statistical significance difference, except for the FMI which was higher in males, but the difference didn't reach the statistical significance level. Moreover, discriminant function analysis showed that FM length and FM area are the best sex discriminant measurements with overall accuracy of 65% and 64% respectively. Conclusion:FM measurements assessed on CBCT scans can be used as a reliable indicator of sexual dimorphism in the Egyptian population.

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