In forensic medicine, diagnosis of sex is the first step in the identification of human skulls. A first approximation is carried out via the qualitative analysis of a series of morphological indicators of sexual dimorphism. Classical studies (Krogman & Iscan, 1986) described 14 indicators for the diagnosis of sex with an accuracy of 90%, and one of these indicators is the shape of the palate. This study analyzed the effect of the loss of teeth on the accuracy of the diagnosis of sex in Brazilians adult skulls, using the shape of the palate as an indicator. We used 98 skulls of adult Brazilians, comprising 35 females and 63 males with an average age of 39.3 years (SD 7.8). The skulls were classified into two groups, namely the fully edentulous... |