FORMS OF PRESENTATION OF THE MANDIBULAR ANGLE IN AN OSTEOLOGICAL COLLECTION FROM THE NORTHEAST REGION OF BRAZIL

Abstract

In Anatomy, anatomical variation is a deviation from the normal morphology of an organ or structure of an individual, and among the various anatomical variations, we observe some in the mandible, such as in the mandibular angle. Therefore, in the present study we intend to describe the ways in which the mandibular angle is presented in relation to its inclination in an Osteological Collection from the Northeast Region of Brazil. For our study, 250 dry adult mandibles were used, 90 female and 160 male. All jaws belong to the collection of the Center for Forensic Anthropology at the Faculty of Medicine of FAP-Araripina, located in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil. To collect the data, the inductive approach method was used with a systematic and direct observation technique for data collection and a descriptive procedure for analyzing them. After collecting the data, we verified the following results. In relation to the total sample (n=250), the straight type appeared in 71 jaws (28.4%), lateral inclination in 148 (59.20%) and medial inclination in 35 (14.0%). Regarding males, 44 jaws (27.5%) were straight, 106 (66.25%) had lateral inclination and 14 (8.75%) had medial inclination. In females, we observed 27 jaws (30%) of the straight type, 43 (47.77%) with lateral inclination and 21 (23.33%) with medial inclination. Due to the great importance of this structure for the area of Forensic Anthropology, further studies are necessary in our population to identify these variations.