Aim: To develop and assess a new protocol proposed for sex determination using frontal sinus index measured from two dimensional lateral cephalometric radiographs. Materials & Methods:The frontal sinus index was measured by two experienced radiologists and one experienced orthodontist on two hundred and one cephalometric scans (93 males & 108 females). The maximum height and width of the sinus were measured then the height to width ratio was calculated. The mean height to width ratio of the sinus were tabulated and subjected to statistical analysis to determine the correlation to gender.Results: There was a high statistically significant difference between the frontal sinus index measured between males and females groups. Conclusion:Frontal sinus index measured on lateral cephalometric radiographs by the developed protocol could be an indicator for gender identification in Egyptians and a larger sample multicentric study is recommended.

Aim: To assess canal shape, dentin thickness, and risk of perforation after using rotary Fanta AF baby files versus manual Hedstrom (H) files in root canal instrumentation of extracted second primary molars. Materials and methods: Twenty-six extracted second primary molars were randomly assigned to two groups; in Group (I): Molars were instrumented by Rotary Fanta AF baby files while in Group (II): Molars were instrumented by Manual H-files. The amount of dentin removal, canal shape, and risk of perforation were evaluated by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) comparing the pre to post instrumentation images. Fracture resistance after instrumentation was assessed with a universal testing machine. Results: Regarding the overall comparison of the amount of dentin removal on the mesial and distal walls of the distal canal, a significant difference was present between Fanta AF baby files and H-files (P=0.013) and (P<0.001) respectively. Where H-files removed a higher amount of dentin with mean ±SD (0.10±0.04) and (0.13±0.05) than Fanta files (0.08±0.04) and (0.05±0.02). However, a non-significant difference was observed regarding the shaping ability (P=0.691), the incidence of risk of perforation (P=0.680), and the fracture resistance (P=0.189). Conclusion: The Fanta AF baby files seem to be more effective in preserving dentin thickness than H files, and it can be utilized as a better alternative in root canal instrumentation in primary molars.

Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy of three different measurement protocols of frontal sinus index for sex estimation among a group of adult Egyptian population. Methods:One hundred and seventy-five retrospective digital lateral cephalometric radiographs of adult Egyptian individuals were included in this study (eighty males and ninety-five females). The maximum height and the maximum width (measured with 3 different methods) of the frontal sinus were measured, then three frontal sinus indices (FSIs) were calculated. All the measurements were statistically analyzed.Results: It was found that all the three FSIs calculated in this study were higher in females than in males with statistical significant difference. Moreover, using the ROC analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) of the three protocols was less than (<0.5) suggesting no discrimination. However, FSI (Protocol 1) had the highest value AUC, followed by FSI (Protocols 2 and 3). Conclusions:Although the frontal sinus is unique for each individual, the usage of the frontal sinus index for sexual discrimination needs more investigations and research on different populations. FSI (Protocol 1) may be a promising tool for sex estimation. Its sensitivity and specificity may improve when combined with other frontal sinus morphological parameters.

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.

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate, compare and validate different protocols of inferior alveolar canal tracing. Methods: 60 DICOM files with a total of 80 inferior alveolar canals were retrieved and imported to a third-party software where all proposed protocols can be performed. Initially, inferior alveolar canal was traced by two oral and maxillofacial radiologists together on CBCT cross-sectional images and considered as the baseline for future comparisons. Oral and maxillofacial surgeon performed the proposed different protocols. The protocols were color coded differently by the surgeon before being compared with the baseline canal by the radiologists through a five-point scale. Results: Results showed that no single protocol was successful in all cases, even the cross-sectional protocol. According to the present study, the hybrid protocol was the most accurate while the automatic protocol was the least accurate. Conclusions: The hybrid protocol was reliable and showed the highest number of successful applications followed by the commonly used cross-sectional protocol. Dental practitioners should be aware of the application of multiple protocols and their pros and cons as no single protocol was successful in all the cases. Applying the same protocols on a larger sample size using different CBCT and MSCT machines with different exposure parameters is recommended.