Sexual and Ethnic Differences in Facial Anthropometry of Northwest Indians

Abstract

Aim: To determine sexual, age related and ethnic differences in somatometric measurements of northwest Indian (nWI) and to elucidate relation between these measurements. Context: This information will help surgeons during the plan -ning stages of facial plastic surgery and forensic experts in reconstructing face for identification of homicide victims and missing persons. Materials and methods: The study included 15 somatometric measurements on 173 males and 127 females healthy subjects from 18 to 70 years. Results: Statistically significant sexual differences were obser­ ved in parameters of head, face, nose and biocular breadth and interpupillary distance. no consistent age related patterns were found except in eye and nasal regions in males. The rela-tion between different parameters showed almost equal length and breadth of face. In majority of subjects, bigonial breadth was smaller than minimum frontal breadth but larger than face breadth. Interocular breadth was smaller than ocular and nasal breadth while nasal height and length were larger than lower face height. Ethnic comparisons render smaller values in most of the parameters.