Avaliação da Eficiência e Eficácia da Antropometria do Triângulo do Processo Mastoide na Estimativa do Sexo em Crânios Brasileiros

There is a perception in forensic anthropology that anthropometric methods are less subjective, and have lower intra and inter observer error rates compared with more subjective classificatory or anthroposcopic approaches. Anthropometric methods have risks of execution errors, however, and may be laborious and time-consuming. Heterogeneous or less than homogeneous samples-such as in cases of intensive admixture-yield equally heterogeneous results. This study is an evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of an anthropometric method of sex estimation from the mastoid process triangle (porion, asterion and mastoidale), as described by Paiva & Segre and Kemkes & Göbel. Of 74 skulls selected from the CEMEL/FMRP-USP collection, 28 were excluded due to the impossibility of execution of the method. The remaining 46 skulls were measured three times and the results compared with each other, as well as with the assignments based on the classifications used in the LAF/CEMEL protocol. In addition to the high number of exclusions due to impossibility of execution of the method, and the need for technical refinements to avoid intra-observer errors, the results obtained contrasted with those obtained by Paiva & Segre in 60.9% of cases. Reduction of observer errors over time and with technical refinement led to the anthropometric method increasing in efficiency. It was not as effective in estimating the sex of the skulls in the heterogeneous admixed sample compared to the anthroposcopic methods, indicating that these are more useful on samples of this kind.