TALAR INDICES IN NORTH INDIANS: A DIMORPHIC STUDY Gaurav Agnihotri * 1 , Swarnjeet Kaur 2 . *1 Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Government Medical College, Amritsar, Punjab, India. 2  Lecturer, Department of Anatomy, Baba Jaswant Singh Dental College, Ludhiana, Punjab, India. Corresponding   Author   Address:    Dr   Gaurav   Agnihotri,   Associate   Professor,   Department   of   Anatomy,   Government   Medical   College,   Amritsar,   Punjab,   India. Mobile:09815542792. E-Mail:  anatomygaurav@yahoo.com. ABSTRACT Background:    Talus,   the   keystone   of   human   tarsus   is   often   recovered   intact   and   is   vital   for   sex,   race,   age   and   sex   determination.   The   Talar   indices   describe   a ratio   between   two   quantitative   measures   and   are   specific   for   north   indian   population.   Though,   the   morphometric   parameters   for   Talus   can   be   utilized   to identify sex, no work is available on dimorphic potential of talar indices and possibility of prediction of index when index of other side is known. Aim:    The   present   pioneer   study   depicts   baseline   data   for   talar   indices   in   north   indians   and   explores   their   dimorphic   potential   .   The   study   ascertains probability of determining index of one side if index on other side is known. Materials   and   Method:    500   dry   north   indian   tali   (250   males;   250   females)   of   known   sex   (right   left   ratio   1:1)   were   studied.   The   Right   length-breadth   index, Left length-breadth index, Right length height index and  Left length height index were determined. Results:    When   indices   as   measured   for   right   and   left   sides   were   compared   they   were   found   to   be   insignificant   in   males   and   statistically   significant   in females   (p<0.05).   The   correlation   coefficient   values   indicate   that   it   is   improbable   to   predict   a   parameter   when   the   same   parameter   on   the   other   side   is known.   The   correlation   coefficients   are   partially   positive   for   some   pairs   and   partially   negative   for   other   pairs.   Only   the   Left   length   breadth   index   was   found to be statistically significant in sexes (p<0.05). Conclusion:    This   pioneer   study   provides   baseline   data   for   Talar   indices.   It   is   improbable   to   predict   an   index   on   one   side   when   same   index   on   other   side   is known.   Though   talar   dimensions   are   dimorphic   ,   the   indices   lack   dimorphic   potential   in   North   Indian   population.   The   direct   methods   of   bone   measure   are more reliable than ratios for sex determination and estimation in north indians. KEY WORDS:  Talar Indices, North Indians, Dimorphic. References 1  . Vesalius   A.   In   the   fabric   of   the   Human   body.   Translated   by   WF   Richardson   and   JB   Carman.   San   Francisco,   California:   Norman Publishing. 1998. 2  . McGregor   AL,      Plessis   DJD.      Accessory   bones   of   the   foot.   In:   A   synopsis   of   surgical   anatomy.   10 th    Edition.   Bombay:   KM   Varghese   Company;   1969;232- 38. 3  . 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