PREVALÊNCIA E VARIAÇÕES DOS OSSOS SUTURAIS EM UMA COLEÇÃO OSTEOLÓGICA DA REGIÃO NORDESTE DO BRASIL

Abstract

In Anatomy, anatomical variation is a deviation from the normal morphology of an organ or structure of an individual that does not impair function and may occur internally or externally. One of the body segments that presents great variability in its structures is the skull, which is also widely used in the study of sexual dimorphism in Forensic Anthropology. Within the lambdoid suture and in other parts of the skull, we frequently find small bones called sutural or wormian bones. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence, distribution, quantity and location of sutural bones in dry skulls of adults belonging to the collection of the Forensic Anthropology Center of FAP-Araripina (PE) and relate them to sexual dimorphism. For our study, 298 skulls were used, 119 female and 179 male. After our observations regarding the sutural bones, we classified them into six types: Type 1, with the presence of unilateral sutural bone in the lambdoid suture; Type 2, presence of bilateral sutural bone in the lambdoid suture; Type 3, presence of sutural bone in the sagittal suture; Type 4, presence of a single Inca (interparietal) bone; Type 5, skulls with absence of sutural bones; and Type 6, presence of several sutural bones in several locations. Regarding the total sample (n = 298), 118 skulls presented sutural bones (39.59%) and in 180 they were absent (60.4%). Type 1 was found in 21 skulls, representing 7.05% of the cases. In 18 skulls (6.04%), we found Type 2. Types 3 and 4 were verified in 3 skulls, representing 1% of the cases studied. Type 5 was found in 180 skulls (60.4%) and Type 6 appeared in 73 skulls, representing 24.5% of the cases. In males, the most frequent type was 6, with 60.34% of cases, and in females the most frequent was 5 with 78.15%, i.e., they did not present sutural bones. Knowledge of this variation is of utmost importance for several areas such as Human Anatomy, Forensic Anthropology, Legal Medicine, Neuroanatomy and Imaging.