## 4 Discussion
Plaster or dental casts have been traditionally used for diagnostic purposes as they are economical, but they present drawbacks such as storage problems and risk of damage and fracture due to their brittle nature. Digital study models offer an alternative to overcome these limitations as they present comparatively better accuracy in measurements, ease of storage and transfer in a computer, facilitate reproducibility of information, and have no risk of physical deterioration that may occur with plaster casts [26]. The present study used a 3D scanning method for measuring odontometric data owing to its advantages in obtaining reliable and high-precision measurements. Previous studies evaluating the accuracy of digital models compared to plaster models had reported significant differences in tooth width measurements between the two methods [27]. Other authors reported that digital models were time-saving and yielded reliable and clinically acceptable measurements compared to a digital caliper [5; 28]. This study used only maxillary canine odontometrics to establish gender dimorphism. This may be particularly useful for predicting gender in situations where only a part of the skull with maxilla is available for forensic investigations [29]. The MD width of both the right and the left maxillary canines was significantly greater in males than in females in the present study. This finding corroborates with that of previous studies conducted among the Saudi population [20; 21; 22] and other studies in the literature [17; 18; 30]. Contrary to this, a previous study among the Saudi population had reported no statistically significant differences in the mean MD width of right and left maxillary canines between the genders [16]. Another study in Nigeria, however, had reported that the MD width of the left maxillary canine was significantly higher in males than in females [31]. Intercamine distance has been reported to be a useful parameter in gender differentiation, as the eruption of canines and growth in the width of both the jaws, including the width of the dental arches, are completed before the adolescent growth changes, and the intercanine distance does not increase after 12 years of age [9]. In the present study, it was observed that the males had a tendency to have statistically significant higher mean values of ICD compared to the female counterparts (\(p<0.001\)). This finding was consistent with those of other authors [16; 24; 30]. However, [PERSON] et al. [32] and [PERSON] et al. [33], in their studies, reported no statistically significant differences in the mean maxillary ICD between males and females. Previous studies in the central region of Saudi Arabia reported smaller dimensions of maxillary ICD compared to that seen in this study on a sample of the Eastern Saudi Arabian population [16; 20]. This study revealed significant gender dimorphism in the MD width and ICD of the maxillary canines, with males showing larger corresponding mean values than females, which was in accordance with previous studies [24; 30; 31]. The results of gender dimorphism of the maxillary canine in the present study showed a greater dimorphism in the MD width of the right canine (3.5%), followed by ICD (3.14%). A recent study on the native Saudi Arabian population found reverse gender dimorphism, as the mean MD width of the maxillary canine was comparatively lesser in males than the females [33]. [PERSON] et al. [30] reported a higher percentage of gender dimorphism with respect to maxillary ICD and found that the right canine was more dimorphic compared to the left canine. [PERSON] et al. (2021), in a study on the Chinese population, revealed a slightly higher percentage (4.26%) of gender dimorphism for MD width of the left canine compared to the right canine (4.18%) [24]. In contrast to the present findings, a previous study on the Saudi Arabian population found a lower magnitude of gender dimorphism for maxillary amines [16].