Variation in Chin and Mandibular Symphysis Size and Shape in Males and Females: a CT-Based Study
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International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Article Variation in Chin and Mandibular Symphysis Size and Shape in Males and Females: A CT-Based Study Tatiana Sella Tunis 1,2,3,* , Israel Hershkovitz 1,2 , Hila May 1,2, Alexander Dan Vardimon 3, Rachel Sarig 2,3,4 and Nir Shpack 3 1 Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel; [email protected] (I.H.); [email protected] (H.M.) 2 Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel; [email protected] 3 Department of Orthodontics, The Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel; [email protected] (A.D.V.); [email protected] (N.S.) 4 Department of Oral Biology, The Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +972-3-640-7310 Received: 12 May 2020; Accepted: 11 June 2020; Published: 14 June 2020 Abstract: The chin is a unique anatomical landmark of modern humans. Its size and shape play an important role from the esthetic perspective. However, disagreement exists in the dental and anthropological literature regarding the sex differences in chin and symphysis morphometrics. The “sexual selection” theory is presented as a possible reason for chin formation in our species; however, many other contradictory theories also exist. This study’s aims were therefore to determine how chin and symphysis size and shape vary with sex, and to discuss “sexual selection” theory as a reason for its formation. Head and neck computed tomography (CT) scans of 419 adults were utilized to measure chin and symphysis sizes and shapes. The chin and symphysis measures were compared between the sexes using an independent-samples t-test, a Mann–Whitney test, and the F-statistic. The chin width was significantly greater in males than in females (p < 0.001), whereas the chin height, area, and size index were significantly greater in females (p < 0.001). Symphysis measures did not differ significantly between the sexes. Size accounted for 2–14% of the chin variance and between 24–33% of the symphysis variance. Overall, the chin was found to be a more heterogeneous anatomical structure than the symphysis, as well as more sexually dimorphic. Keywords: chin; mandibular symphysis; morphometrics; sexual dimorphism; facial attractiveness; computed tomography 1. Introduction The chin (mentum osseum) is a distinctive feature of the anterior mandibular symphysis found only in our species, Homo sapiens [1]. It is characterized by a mental protuberance, a raised vertical structure that lies along the symphyseal midline, along with paired bulbous formations placed on each lateral side of its inferior margin (mental tubercles) (Figure1A). The presence of a chin is already noticeable in the fifth fetal month [1,2] and the mandible retains this characteristic into adult life [3]. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 4249; doi:10.3390/ijerph17124249 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 4249 2 of 15 Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, x 2 of 15 FigureFigure 1. ( 1.A) (ChinA) Chin (mentum (mentum osseum). osseum). Fron Frontaltal view view of the of themandible mandible (using (using the thevolume volume rendering rendering technique);technique); chin chin borders borders (mental (mental protuberance protuberance an andd bilateralbilateral mentalmental tubercles) tubercles) are are denoted denoted by aby dotted a dottedline. line. (B) Mandibular(B) Mandibular symphysis. symphysis. Midsagittal Midsagittal section; section; symphysis symphysis borders borders are denoted are bydenoted dotted by lines. dotted lines. The mandibular symphysis isthe region where the two halves of the human fetal mandibular corpusSeveral are hypotheses fused [4] (Figure have 1beenB). 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Males lateral displayed tubercles, relatively and taller more chins prominent than did mentalfemales. protruberances, Coquerelleet al. lateral [20] and tubercles, Franklin and et al.taller [21,22] chins used than the did geometric females. morphometric Coquerelleet al.method [20] and to find Franklin that the et al.sexual [21,22 dimorphism] used the geometric of the chinmorphometric and mandibular method symphysis to find that is age-dependent. the sexual dimorphism According of the to chinCoquerelleet and mandibular al. [20], symphysis