Adapting and Applying the Phenice (1969) Adult Morphological Sex Estimation Technique to Subadults

Abstract

This research evaluated whether adult morphological sex estimation methods of the innominate could be adapted and applied to subadults. The subpubic concavity, described by Phenice (1969) and revised by Klales et al. (2012), was modified for use with subadults. Two observers scored radiographic images from the PATRICIA database of 334 individuals of both sexes aged between 1.19 and 20.47 years. Score frequencies shifted from score 2 (straight) to higher frequencies of score 3 (convexity) in males and score 1 (concavity) in females with increasing age. Using ordinal logistic regression, sex classification was highest for the oldest age cohort at 97.2% and then decreased by age cohort. Interobserver error rendered a high level of agreement (0.806) using the intraclass correlation coefficient. Results indicate that the Klales method can be modified and applied to subadults to accurately estimate sex following the onset of puberty with a high degree of reliability and validity.

New Method for Sex Prediction Using the Human Non‐Adult Auricular Surface of the Ilium in the Collection of Identified Skeletons of the University of Coimbra

“…Numerous studies attempted to offer solutions and proposed important tools for non‐adult sex estimation through the metric and morphological analyses of the skeleton and the dentition, especially in the last years (e.g. Schutkowski, ; Rösing et al, ; Cardoso & Saunders, ; Stull & Godde, ; Irurita Olivares & Alemán Aguilera, ; Klales & Burns, ; Stull et al, , among others). In general, these methodological proposals include similar approaches to those that offered satisfactory results in adults (e.g.…”

“…Molleson et al, ; Mays & Cox, ; Loth & Henneberg, ; Stull et al, ) and record anatomical portions of the ilium (e.g. angle, index, depth and location of the maximum depth of the greater sciatic notch, arch criterion, curvature of the iliac crest, elevation of the auricular surface and subpubic concavity; Boucher, ; Fazekas & Kòsa, ; Hunt, ; Mittler & Sheridan, ; Schutkowski, ; Holcomb & Konigsberg, ; Sutter, ; Cardoso & Saunders, ; García Mancuso, ; Klales & Burns, ), the orbit (Molleson et al, ), the internal auditory canal (Gonçalves et al, ), the mandible (Schutkowski, ; Molleson et al, ; Loth & Henneberg, ; Ridley, ; Scheuer, ; Sutter, ) and teeth (buccolingual and mesodistal diameters of crown and neck; e.g. Black, ; Rösing, ; De Vito & Saunders, ; Isçan & Kedici, ; Żądzińska et al, ; Mitsea et al, ; Viciano et al, ).…”

Multivariate ordinal probit analysis in the skeletal assessment of sex

“…Although we see this as a valuable contribution, we have considerable issues with the statistical methods used in Klales et al (). Although seven years have passed since their publication in this journal, we feel that a comment is necessary because their statistical methods have continued to be used (Kenyhercz, Klales, Stull, McCormick, & Cole, ; Klales, ; Klales & Burns, ; Klales & Cole, ; Lesciotto & Doershuk, ) including recently within this journal (Gómez‐Valdés et al, ).…”

“…Klales and co‐workers (Klales, :297; Klales & Burns, :750; Klales et al, :109) erroneously refer to their analyses as using “ordinal logistic regression,” a technique also known by the shorter name of “ordered logit.” Ordered logit, or the similar ordered probit, is used when there is an ordinal dependent variable, such as in Equation 8 of Konigsberg and Hens (). What Klales and co‐workers used is a logistic regression of the binary variable sex onto scores for the Phenice traits (see Equations 4 and 5 of Konigsberg & Hens, ).…”

A Test of Sex Estimation in Subadults Using the Elevation of the Auricular Surface from Four Samples of Known Age and Sex

“…For more than 100 years, researchers have noted dimorphism in the subadult pelvis (1)(2)(3) in several of the metric and nonmetric traits found useful for adult sex estimation. More recent attempts to quantify and produce sex estimation methods based on these traits have met with limited success (4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10). Currently, no reliable method of analysis has been developed to capture subadult sex differences, although auricular surface elevation on the ilium, a dimorphic nonmetric trait in adults, has shown promise (5,7,8).…”