Evaluation of the auricular surface method for subadult sex estimation on Italian modern (19th to 20th century) identified skeletal collections

Objectives: Sex estimation in subadult skeletal remains is still considered highly problematic. The aim of this research is to test the reliability of the method of subadult sex assessment proposed by Luna and co-workers in 2017, based on the analysis of the auricular surface of the ilium. Materials and Methods: Seven ratios and three morphological traits were recorded for 127 subadult individuals (63 males and 64 females), aged between 0 and 17 years, from several Identified Skeletal Collections of the University of Bologna. Nonparametric Mann Whitney test, Kolmogorov Smirnov test, and the Pearson correlation coefficient were used for continuous variables, whereas the Cramer Coefficient was calculated for qualitative variable. A principal component analysis was also performed on ratio values. The statistic ƞ was taken into account for both types of variables. Results: None of the ratios presented significant dimorphic results. Two qualitative variables show statistically significant differences between sexes. The overall morphology proved to be an accurate sex predictor among children aged ≥4 years (78%–86%) and meets the minimum accuracy standard (75%) for subadult sex estimation for individuals between 1 and 17 years of age. The morphology of the retroauricular end of the superior demiface (MRS) can be used with a high level of accuracy for sexing individuals from 1 to 12 years (77%–81%). Conclusions: The metric variables did not replicate the accuracy values originally obtained by Luna and co-workers. Otherwise, the evaluation of the morphological variables proposed by the authors yielded promising results as a reliable sexing technique for individuals who died before puberty.