Sexual Dimorphism in Teeth Dimension and Arch Perimeter of Individuals of Four Ethnic Groups of Northeastern India

Objectives There is a disparity between males and females when it comes to size and appearance. In forensic and anthropological investigations, it is crucial to identify an unknown individual's gender, and it is possible to discern individual differences based on differences in dental features among populations. For identifying individuals, tooth dimensions are an effective, simple, and low-cost means of determining sex. Based on dental casts, this study aims to assess sexual dimorphism among four ethnic tribes of Northeast India using the mesiodistal (MD) dimension of canines and arch perimeter (AP) of the upper and lower jaws. Methods In each of the four ethnic groups studied, 50 males and 50 females with dental casts were measured in millimetres for the MD dimension of canines and AP of the upper and lower jaws. SPSS version 20 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was used to analyze the data based on Student's t-test, considering a p-value of <0.05 as significant. Results Males had significantly larger MD dimensions of canines in the maxillary and mandibular jaws (p-value<0.05). The AP of both maxilla and mandible are higher in males than females in all four ethnic groups. However, the difference between the two genders for the AP of the maxilla is statistically significant only in Meitei and Singpho groups (p-value<0.05). In the case of the mandibular jaw, the AP was significantly lower in females in all four ethnic groups (p-value<0.05). Conclusion Significant sexual dimorphism exists among the individuals in the four ethnic group populations. The MD dimension and AP are essential to establish sexual dimorphism among populations. The MD dimension of the maxillary and mandibular canine and AP showed significant sexual dimorphism in the present study among all four ethnic groups.