JPAFMAT 2008; 8(2).

ISSN 0972-5687

GENDER BASED COMPARISON OF INTERCANINE DISTANCE OF MANDIBULAR PERMANENT CANINE IN

DIFFERENT POPULATIONS
Dr. Bindu Aggarwal, Assistant Professor Deptt. of Anatomy, Gian Sagar Medical College, Ram Nagar,
Banur, Punjab.
Dr. K Vasudeva, Professor & Head, Deptt of Prosthodontics & Principal, Govt. Dental College, Patiala.
Dr. Subash Kaushal, Professor & Head, Department of Anatomy, Govt. Medical College, Patiala.
Dr. Usha Chhabra, Professor, Department of Anatomy, Govt. Medical College, Patiala.
Dr. Sanjay Singla, Medical Officer, Department of Cardiology, Govt. Medical College, Patiala.
Abstract
Teeth are the most indestructible part of the body, exhibit the least turnover of natural
structure, are readily accessible for examination and do not need special dissection. Hence teeth provide
excellent material in living and non- living populations for anthropological, genetic, odontological and
forensic investigations. Amongst all the teeth, the mandibular canines are found to exhibit greatest
sexual dimorphism. In the present study, inter canine distance of the mandibular canines was measured
in 60 North Indian subjects (M: F: 30: 30) in the age group of 17-21 years. Inter canine distance of the
Indian population was compared with that of different populations. It was found that in all the
populations, inter canine distance of the males exceeded that of the females.
Keywords: Mandibular; Canines; inter canine distance

Introduction
Teeth are an excellent material
in living and non living populations for
anthropological, genetic, odontological and
forensic investigations. These exhibit the least
turnover of natural structure and are readily
accessible for examination. Their durability in
the face of fire and bacterial decomposition
makes them invaluable for identification [1].
Sexual dimorphism refers to
those differences in size, structure and
appearance between male and female, at an
equal age, which can be applied to dental
identification, because no two mouths are alike
[2]. When jaws are at hand teeth may be used
for gender determination with the aid of
odontometric analysis. In general male teeth
are larger than female teeth and canines are the
most dimorphic [3]. It was found that
mandibular canines exhibit the greatest sexual
dimorphism amongst all teeth [4].
In cases where postcranial
bones are fragmented or unavailable,
measurements of the mandibular canine tooth
and inter-canine distance may provide a means

of determining sex. The human male appears to

have permanent canines that are masculine in
form. These teeth are considered as the key
tooth for the purpose of personal
identification. Canines are less affected than
other teeth by periodontal disease and are last
teeth to be extracted with respect to age [5].
The present study establishes
the impact of the sex factor on the
morphometry of the mandibular canines. The
results indicate that the dimorphism in
mandibular canines can be of immense medicolegal use in identification. The study defines the
morphometric criteria for mandibular canines in
North Indian population.
Material and methods
Selection Criteria: Sixty subjects, 30
males and 30 females in the age group of 17
21 years were selected for this study. This age
group was selected, as attrition is minimal in
this age group [6]. The study was conducted on
the students of Government Medical College,
Patiala.

JPAFMAT 2008; 8(2). ISSN 0972-5687

Inclusion Criteria: Subjects with the

following status of teeth were included in the
study:
1. Healthy state of gingiva and periodontium.
2. Caries free teeth.
3. Normal over jet and overbite.
4. Absence of spacing in the anterior teeth.
5. Normal molar and canine relationship.
Instrument: The measurements of teeth
were taken on an anatomically sound basis. All
measurements were taken using a vernier
caliper, taking into account the error if any, in
the instrument. The caliper used had a
resolution of 0.02 mm. A divider with fixing
device was also used for taking the
measurements.
Measurement Procedure: This method was
adopted from Kaushal [7]. The various
parameters of the teeth were measured using
divider with a fixing device and vernier calipers
with a resolution of 0.02 mm.
1. Making of study casts
Impressions of mandibular arches were
taken in alginate impression

The intercanine distance was

measured between the tips of both canines in
the lower jaw and the mean intercanine
distance was found to be 26.003mm in males
and 25.001mm in females. The difference was
found to be highly significant.
Table No. 1: Statistical significance of Inter
canine distance in males and females
Sex
Males
Females

Mean
(mm)
26.003
25.001

S.D.
0.499
1.481

tstat

pvalue

Significance

3.51

<0.001

Highly
Significant

Table No. 2: Comparison of inter canine

distance in different populations
Population Author

Canadian
French
Indian
Indian
Norwegian
Saudi
Arabian
Saudi
Arabian
Indian

Anderson
Thompson
Muller
Kaushal
Yogitha
Olav
Abdullah
Sherfudin
Present Study

Inter
Canine
Distance (mm)
Male
Female
& 26.08 25.33
26.28 25.03
25.83 25.07
27.98 26.86
19.06 18.24
27.01 26.46
26.36 26.11
26.003 25.001

Discussion

2 Measuring The Intercanine Distance

Material and later study casts were
prepared with stone plaster. The measurements
were conducted on these study casts using
vernier calipers. The intercanine distance was
measured between the tips of both canines in
lower jaw in all the study casts.
Observations
7|Page

The study was conducted to determine

the sexual dimorphism that exists in the
mandibular permanent canines. This was done
by measuring the intercanine distance. The
study was conducted on 60 subjects, out of
which 30 were males and 30 were females. The
study established the existence of a definite
statistically significant sexual dimorphism.
Comparison of intercanine distance between
the different populations was done as variation
in tooth size is influenced by genetic and
environmental factors such as race, sex,
heredity, environment, secular changes and
bilateral asymmetry.

JPAFMAT 2008; 8(2). ISSN 0972-5687

Olav [8] studied casts of 64 females and

80 males of Norwegian decent and found that
the mean mandibular inter canine width were
19.06mm in males and 18.24mm in females.
Yogitha [9] studied 25 male and 25 female casts
and found that the mean mandibular inter
canine width was 27.98mm in males and
26.86mm in females. Another study conducted
by Abdullah [10] on 251 male and 252 female,
Saudi Arabian students revealed that the mean
mandibular inter canine width was 27.01mm in
males and 26.46mm in females. Muller [11]
studied 424 students of University of Nice
Sophia Antipolis split between 214 men and 210
women. The lower canine arch was 26.280mm
in males and 25.030mm in females. Sherfudin
[12] did a cross-sectional study of canine
dimorphism in establishing sex identity by
comparison of two statistical methods using
mesiodistal width of canine and intercanine
distance as parameters. They selected 301
Indian high school students at Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia within the age range of 14- 17 years. The
mean mandibular inter canine width was
27.36mm in males and 26.11mm in females.
Anderson and Thompson [13] studied the
interrelationships and sex differences of dental
and skeletal measurements in 83 males and 88
females. The mean mandibular inter canine
width was 26.08mm in males and 25.33mm in
females. Kaushal [14] in 2003 found that mean
mandibular inter canine width was 25.83mm in
males and 25.07mm in females.
In
all
the
populations
mentioned above, the intercanine distance of
the mandibular canines was found to be is more
in the males than the females and the
difference was statistically significant. It can
thus be concluded that the sexual dimorphism
in mandibular canines is evident in its inter
canine distance.

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