Robles, Madeline H.; (2021) Human identification: an investigation of 3D models of paranasal sinuses to establish a biological profile on a modern UK population. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Forensic anthropology traditionally aims to assist law enforcement with human identification by physically examining skeletal remains and assigning a biological profile using various metric and visual methods. These methods are crucial when a body undergoes extreme damage and standard approaches for positive identification are not possible. However, the traditional methods employed by forensic anthropologists were primarily developed from North American reference populations and have demonstrated varying accuracy rates when assigning age, sex, and ancestry to individuals outside of the reference collection. Medical imaging is a valuable source for facilitating empirical research and an accessible gateway for developing novel forensic anthropological methods for analysis including 3D modelling. This is especially critical for the United Kingdom (UK) where biological profiling methods developed from modern UK populations do not currently exist. Researchers 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 that addresses these structures in a forensic context presents extremely varied insights and to date there has been no standardisation. This thesis presents research that addresses this gap and introduces a new approach for human identification using 3D models of the paranasal sinuses. The models were produced from a database of modern CT scans provided by University College London Hospital (UCLH), London, UK. Linear measurements and elliptic Fourier coefficients taken from 1,500 three-dimensional models across six ethnic groups assessed by one-way ANOVA and discriminant function analysis showed a range of classification rates with certain rates reaching 75-85.7% (p<0.05) in correctly classifying age and sex according to size and shape. The findings offer insights into the potential for employing CT scans to develop identification methods within the UK and establishes a foundation for using the paranasal sinuses as an attribute for establishing identification of unknown human remains in future crime reconstructions.

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