DETERMINATION OF SEXUAL DIMORPHISM USING NASAL AND FACIAL INDICES AMONG THE HAUSA ETHNIC IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify sexual dimorphism among Hausa ethnic group students at a chosen higher educational institution in Kano using nasal and facial indices. 150 students between the ages of 18 and 30 were involved in the study—75 males and 75 females. The voluntarily recruited study subjects had no history of physical malformations, facial or nasal surgery, cleft lip or palate. Digital Vernier calliper, scientific calculator, weighing machine and sterilisation consumables were used for the study. The individual subjects were instructed to sit calmly, straighten out, and look forward. The nasal and facial index (NI) was measured and recorded during the facial anthropometry. According to the study, the mean age of the study sample for males’ students was 25.1 ± 3.60 years and for female students it was 23.4±3.10 years. Males and females differed significantly in terms of NI (P<0.001), height (P<0.05), and nasal width (P<0.001). Based on the Nasal Index and its distribution, the nasal shapes of the Hausa ethnic group were described as mesorrhine (66%), leptorrhine (29.3%), and platyrrhine (4.7%). It was also found that Nasal Index in males is higher than that of the females. This study demonstrates existence of sexual dimorphism in nasal and facial indices among Hausa ethnic group in Kano State, Nigeria