Advances in the Use of Frontal Sinuses for Human Identification

Abstract The frontal sinus is one of several paranasal sinuses of the cranium. It is located in the frontal bone and completes growth by around the 20th year. Frontal sinuses are highly variable in size and shape, permanent after development is complete, and easily visualized using radiology (including X-rays, computed tomography scans, and magnetic resonance imagings). These features make frontal sinuses ideal structures for personal identification of human remains in cases where antemortem records depicting the frontal sinuses are available for comparison. Frontal sinuses were first used in identification in 1925 and have since been widely studied by forensic anthropologists and radiologists including the development of methods to codify and quantify frontal sinus size and shape. Recent advances include studies on improving comparison methods through standardization, quantification, and automation, as well as improved imaging of frontal sinuses due to advances in forensic radiology. The successful admission of a frontal sinus-based identification following an admissibility hearing further supports the acceptance of frontal sinuses as a reliable and valid method of personal identification.

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