Macromorphoscopic characters of the skull and their application to the estimation of ancestry in contemporary American populations: a systematic review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i9.32103Keywords:
America; Anatomy; Forensic Anthropology; Skull.Abstract
Human identification can be challenging in the presence of bodies in an advanced state of decomposition, which requires the reconstruction of a biological profile of the victim. This study aimed to point out which morphological features of the skull are more frequently studied to estimate ancestry in contemporary populations of the Americas. A systematic review protocol was registered in Open Science Framework database and followed the recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute manual. Macromorphoscopic studies on the ancestry of the human skull in American populations were searched. Archaeological studies, studies on bones of non-adult individuals, and studies with metric or genetic analyses were excluded. Seven databases (MedLine via PubMed, Scopus, Embase, LILACS, BBO, SciELO and Web of Science) were searched as primary data sources. ProQuest, Google Scholar and OpenGrey databases were used to capture “grey literature”. Two reviewers independently collected data, checked for eligibility criteria and assessed the risk of bias. The qualitative synthesis was carried out in a descriptive/narrative manner. Initially, 4.526 records were found. Six studies were selected for qualitative synthesis. The studies were published between 2010 and 2020 and were carried out in the United States of America, Canada and Colombia. The eligible studies indicated as the most frequently observed cranial morphological characteristics to estimate ancestry the Anterior Nasal Spine (ANS), the Interorbital Width (IOB), the Nasal Aperture Width (NAW), the Nasal Bone Overgrowth (NO) and the Post-bregmatic Depression (PBD). Such structures are mostly addressed in the anthropological method proposed by Hefner in 2009.
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Copyright (c) 2022 Selma da Paixão Argollo; Daniela Meneses-Santos; Murilo Navarro de Oliveira; Melina Calmon; Jeidson Antônio Morais Marques; Luiz Renato Paranhos; Ademir Franco
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