Exploratory analysis of new craniometric measures for the investigation of biological sex using open-access statistical and machine-learning tools on a cone-beam computed tomography sample

Investigation of the biological sex of human remains is a crucial aspect of physical anthropology. However, due to varying states of skeletal preservation, multiple approaches and structures of interest need to be explored. This research aims to investigate the potential use of distances between bifrontal breadth (FMB), infraorbital foramina distance (IOD), nasal breadth (NLB), inter-canine width (ICD), and distance between mental foramina (MFD) for combined sex prediction through traditional statistical methods and through open-access machine-learning tools. Ethical approval was obtained from the ethics committee, and out of 100 cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans, 54 individuals were selected with all the points visible. Ten extra exams were chosen to test the predictors developed from the learning sample. Descriptive analysis of measurements, standard deviation, and standard error were obtained. T-student and Mann–Whitney tests were utilized to assess the sex differences within the variables. A logistic regression equation was developed and tested for the investigation of the biological sex as well as decision trees, random forest, and artificial neural networks machine-learning models. The results indicate a strong correlation between the measurements and the sex of individuals. When combined, the measurements were able to predict sex using a regression formula or machine learning based models which can be exported and added to software or webpages. Considering the methods, the estimations showed an accuracy rate superior to 80% for males and 82% for females. All skulls in the test sample were accurately predicted by both statistical and machine-learning models. This exploratory study successfully established a correlation between facial measurements and the sex of individuals, validating the prediction potential of machine learning, augmenting the investigative tools available to experts with a high differentiation potential.