Determination of sex by shape and size of hyoid bone

Abstract

Identification is the task that an investigator does when an unknown dead body is found with an allegation of crime. Identification is often a difficult task in many of the criminal cases due to decomposition by the time the dead body has been noticed. The present study was conducted to know the relationship of the sex with the shape and size of the hyoid bone. Excised hyoid bones from 81 male and 49 female dead bodies were studied from a South Indian population. Results showed that hyoid bones were highly polymorphic in size and shape across the ages in both sexes. However V shaped hyoid bone was more common compared to U shaped hyoid bone in adult males. The Length and the width of the hyoid bone were larger in males compared to females. The study of hyoid bone will be inadequate in sex determination and needs to be considered along with the measurements of other bones of the same individual for more accuracy.