Evaluation of Nasolacrimal Canal for age and gender assessment

Introduction: Age and Gender estimation is an indispensable component of biological assessment in forensic science. There are certain skeletal remains which can guide forensic experts toward accurate identification; one such can be human skull. Among many anatomical landmarks, the nasolacrimal canal is one of the prominent landmarks of the craniofacial region. It is 12- 18 mm long canal that drains into the nasal cavity. Computed tomography is an important tool that is preferred due to its low cost, high resolution, lower dose of radiation and better image quality than CBCT. Nasolacrimal canal can be well evaluated routinely on computed tomographic examination. Aim: Evaluation of nasolacrimal canal for age and gender assessment. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out on 300 axial CT scans which included images of subjects above 15 years of age. The anteroposterior and transverse diameters along with sectional area of the bony nasolacrimal canal at the level of infraorbital margin, and the angle between the bony canal and the nasal floor were evaluated for age and gender determination. Results: Except for the length, all other four dimensions of the nasolacrimal canal were found to be highly statistical significantly greater in males (p < 0.001). On comparison between right and left side, all the five dimensions of nasolacrimal canal, there was found to be no statistical significant difference. Conclusion: Nasolacrimal canal is one of the reliable landmarks for gender assessment. Biography: Apeksha Dhole (Balpande), Professor, PG teacher, currently working at VSPM Dental College and Hospital, Nagpur. She has completed her graduation and post-graduation from Government Dental College and Hospital, Nagpur and have pursued Ph.D. in the subject of oral medicine and radiology from SPDC, DMIMS (Sawangi). She have teaching experience of about 16 years. She is a MUHS (Maharashtra University of Health Science) approved teacher for faculty development. She is a member of HSET (Health Science Education Technology) unit at our institute and conducted various workshops for students and teachers. She has completed the Certificate course of Advanced Training in health sciences. She has three e-books and many publications to indexed and PubMed journals. She has conducted many awareness lectures on tobacco and areca nut among school children and colleges. She has joined JCI in the year 2019 and was project director for various activities offline as well as online. She is a VP programmer of JCI Medico Nagpur branchin2021.

Author(s): Apeksha Dhole Balpande

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