Scapulae have been widely studied for its potential in differentiating sex in skeletal remains, especially when traditionally used sexually dimorphic bones were not available. The present work aimed to investigate sexual dimorphism of scapulae, and to develop and validate the population-specific metric standards of the Malaysian population using three-dimensional (3D) computed tomographic (CT) scapula models. Each scapula was measured for five variables with a digital caliper and analysed for independent T-test and discriminant analysis, where a leave-one-out cross-validation was applied. Moreover, a set of different samples (hold-out sample) was used to validate the established discriminant functions (DF). Consequently, all measurements showed significant differences between males and females (p < 0.001) and morphological breadth was discovered as the most sexually dimorphic scapulae measurements. Six DFs with classification accuracy ranging from 84.4% to 93.1% were generated. From the functions, stepwise DF predicted the highest classification accuracy. Additionally, the stepwise DF exhibited 95% classification accuracy when tested on the hold-out sample compared to univariate DFs which showed 82.5�92.5% accuracy. In conclusion, the virtual 3D scapulae models were sexually dimorphic, and the discriminant functions were significant in identifying skeletonized remains using scapulae bone in the Malaysian population. � 2019, � 2019 Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Research in forensic anthropology is recent in Malaysia due to limited access to documented skeletal collections. However, advanced imaging techniques provide virtual bone samples for use in morphometric studies to establish population specific standards by virtual anthropology. This study examined sexual dimorphism in the subpubic angle using a three dimensional computed tomography model of the pelvis, in a contemporary Malaysian population. The sample comprised multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) scans of 50 male and 50 female adults. Segmentation of the MDCT scans was performed using 3D Slicer, and four landmarks were acquired using Stratovan Checkpoint for the subpubic angle measurement. The technical error of measurement (TEM), relative TEM, and coefficient of reliability (R) exhibited high reliability in measurements. Results showed that the subpubic angle in males was 68.6°±7.6° and in females 87.4°±6.5°. The subpubic angle in females was significantly larger than in males (P<0.001). Inverse correlation was found between the subpubic angle and age, in both males (r=–0.449, P<0.01) and females (r=–0.385, P<0.01). The overall accuracy of sex estimation using the subpubic angle was 94% (P<0.001). The subpubic angle, with a demarcating point of 78.6°, showed a sensitivity and specificity of 94% in the classification of female individuals. In conclusion, sex estimation using the subpu bic angle is highly accurate, with a high degree of expected sensitivity and specificity in the Malaysian population.