In vivo Facial Tissue Depth Study of African Nova Scotian Children

Abstract

This study collaborated with the African Nova Scotian community to create the first African Canadian facial tissue depth database to help identify missing children. The relationships between tissue thickness, age, and sex were investigated, and comparisons were made with contemporary data for African Americans and White European Americans. Ultrasound technology was utilized to measure the facial tissue thickness of 54 living subadult African Nova Scotians between 3 and 18 years of age, at 19 standardized points. Results revealed significant relationships between tissue thickness and age at some points, but overall age was not a strong influencing factor. Statistical analyses suggest sex influences tissue depth at puberty. When compared to African American and European American children, African Nova Scotians have thicker facial tissue depths predominantly in the forehead, nose, mouth, and chin regions, while the jaw and cheek regions are thinner. These differences were not evaluated for statistical significance. The current debate on the separation versus collapse of subadult facial tissue depth data is also addressed. This study adds to the facial tissue depth data available for Canadian populations, which can aid in the generation of forensic facial reconstructions of unidentified African Nova Scotian children.