Sex determination using the DSP (probabilistic sex diagnosis) method on the coxal bone: Efficiency of method according to number of available variables

- The DSP method (probabilistic sex diagnosis) was applied to 100 coxal bones.
- There was no mistake in sex determination of the 100 coxal bones.
- The level of indetermination was higher in females than in males.
- The level of indetermination varied a great deal according to the available combinations of variables.

The DSP method (probabilistic sex diagnosis) was applied to100 contemporary coxal bones from elderly individuals of the South of France. Ten variables with a posterior probability greater or equal to a 0.95 threshold were used. There was no statistical difference between right side and left side measurements. There was no mistake for sex assignment but the level of indetermination varied a great deal. It was higher in females than in males. The best combinations were obtained when using all 10 variables, some combination of 9 variables (all except SS or SIS or VEAC) or the first 8 variables. We conclude that the DSP method is of great interest in forensic anthropology, thanks to a very weak possibility of mistake when using the software for sex determination of the coxal bone. The main drawback is the level of indetermination that can be high depending on the available variables.