Title

Comparative morphometric analysis of the clavicle in male and female human cadavers: Implications for forensic identification

Authors

Mayuri V. Ghorpade, Deepali P. Onkar, Manjusha K. Tabhane & Sanika S. Matey*

Affiliation

Department of Anatomy, N K P Salve Institute of Medical Sciences, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India; *Corresponding author

Email

Mayuri Vijay Ghorpade - E-mail: mayoojadhav@gmail.com
Deepali P. Onkar - E-mail: drdeepalionkar@gmail.com

Manjusha K. Tabhane - E-mail: manjusha.matey@gmail.com
Sanika K. Matey - E-mail: sanikamatey02@gmail.com

Article Type

Research Article

Date

Received January 1, 2026; Revised January 31, 2026; Accepted January 31, 2026, Published January 31, 2026

Abstract

Forensic sex estimation from fragmented skeletons challenges anthropology when pelvis and skull are absent. This study analyzed 120 dry human clavicles (60 male, 60 female) using maximum length, mid-shaft circumference and sternal end breadth and acromial end breadth measurements. All parameters demonstrated significant sexual dimorphism (p<0.001), with male clavicles consistently larger and discriminant analysis achieving 88.3% classification accuracy. Mid-shaft circumference and maximum length provided the strongest predictive values. Clavicle morphometrics advance forensic anthropology by offering reliable sex determination from isolated upper limb bones.

Keywords

Forensic anthropology, clavicle, sexual dimorphism, morphometry, sex determination, skeletal identification.

Citation

Ghorpade et al. Bioinformation 22(1): 465-469 (2026)

Edited by

Vini Mehta

ISSN

0973-2063

Publisher

Biomedical Informatics

License

This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.