A study of cephalic index of Bengali subjects of Tripura for determination of race

Abstract

Background: There has been a common belief among the people of Tripura that the racial origin of the Bengali subjects is from Aryans. Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the cephalic index of Bengali population of Tripura, for determination of their racial origin. Setting and Design: A data-based study carried out in a tertiary care teaching institute, Agartala. Materials and Methods: After obtaining ethical clearance from the Institutional Ethics Committee, this study was conducted on the cadavers of Bengali subjects of Tripura brought for medicolegal postmortem examination in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Tripura. A total number of 411 cases were selected at random for the study during April 2015–March 2016. Using a slide caliper (Martin's type), the maximum length and breadth of skull with and without soft tissue were measured and individual's cephalic index was calculated. Statistical Analysis Used: Data collected were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) Windows based version 21.0. Results: The study comprised 282 (68.6%) males and 129 (31.4%) females. Two hundred and twenty-one numbers of subjects (53.77%) were found to be mesaticephalic, while 184 subjects (44.76%) and 6 subjects (1.45%) were brachycephalic and dolichocephalic, respectively. In case of cephalic index without soft tissue, 233 subjects (56.69%) were mesaticephalic and 178 subjects (43.31%) were brachycephalic, whereas none was found to be dolichocephalic. Conclusion: Among 411 numbers of subjects, when cephalic index was calculated with soft tissue, 221 numbers of subjects (53.77%) were found to be mesaticephalic, while 184 subjects (44.76%) and 6 subjects (1.45%) were brachycephalic and dolichocephalic, respectively. In case of cephalic index without soft tissue, 233 subjects (56.69%) were mesaticephalic and 178 subjects (43.31%) were brachycephalic, whereas none was found to be dolichocephalic.