Mandibular canine as aid in gender determinant: A study on the population of Srinagar, Kashmir, India.

Establishing person’s identity is important for both legal and humanitarian purposes. Sex determination is one of the prime factors employed to assist with the identification of an individual. Present study was done to to establish the effectiveness of mandibular canine index in predicting gender in Srinagar, (Kashmir) population. 150 subjects belonging to Srinagar Kashmir population (80 males; 70 females) in the age group of 20-30 yrs were included. Impressions were made with alginate and study models prepared with dental stone. Mesio-distal diameter of mandibular canines and distance between tips of mandibular canines were measured using a Vernier caliper. Mandibular canine index was calculated as the ratio between the maximum mesiodistal width of mandibular canine and canine arc width.Overall, the values obtained for the intercanine distance, right canine width, left canine width, right MCI, and left MCI was found to be significantly higher in males than females and Left canine exhibited greater sexual dimorphism compared with right canine. It is concluded that it is possible to detect gender on basis of canine dimorphism and thus is considered as a quick and easy method for determination of gender of an individual.