Evaluation of the obturator foramen as a sex assessment trait

Abstract

Correctly assessing sex from skeletal remains is one of the main elements of creating a biological profile. Many traits allow for this, the obturator foramen being one. However, research on its accuracy has provided mixed results. This study examines the obturator foramen using a 5-point grading scale to assess the degree of sexual dimorphism in four known age and sex skeletal collections from the UK and South Africa. Overall, sexual dimorphism was found in the obturator foramen when using the new scoring system; however, accuracies for correct sex classification ranged from ~ 46 to ~ 75%. Considering its wide range in accuracy rates across the four samples and difficulty in identifying the subtle changes in morphology, the obturator foramen should only be used as part of a multifactorial assessment of sex.