The utility of three-dimensional models of paranasal sinuses to establish age, sex, and ancestry across three modern populations: A preliminary study

Technological advances have furthered the development and understanding of trace materials such that DNA and fingerprints have become the foundation of human identification. However, when a body undergoes damage such as in cases of arson, these methods of identification may not be possible, and alternative methods of identification become critical. Previous studies have quantified the variability of the paranasal sinuses between individuals and have begun to explore their ability to provide biological information. However, the published literature investigating these structures in a forensic anthropology context offers variable findings. This study presents a new approach for establishing a biological profile using three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions of the paranasal sinuses. 3D models were produced from a database of modern CT scans provided by University College London Hospital (UCLH), London, UK. Elliptic Fourier and linear analysis produced from the 3D models demonstrated notable variations and patterns for discriminating age, sex, and ancestry across three distinct ethnic groups. The most promising classification rates ranged from 82.8% (p=.027) to 76.9% (p=.003) for age and sex prediction. The findings offer insights into the potential for using the paranasal sinuses as an attribute for discriminating between individuals and the identification of unknown human remains in crime reconstruction investigations