Morphometric variations of nasal parameters in gujarati population: An anatomical study

Abstract

Introduction: Nasal morphology is an important factor in forensic investigations and facial reconstructive procedures. Found to be strongly related to ethnicity and environmental factors, and known to be sexually dimorphic, the study of nasal parameters is useful in forensic facial reconstruction. The aim of the study is to evaluate the nasal morphological characteristics of the Gujarati population as an indicator for personal identification and to assess the prevalent nasal morphology of the study population determined. Material and Methods: The study involved randomly selected 180 healthy subjects (90 males and 90 females) between three age groups. Nasal width and nasal height were measured using a digital vernier caliper, and nasal index was calculated along with other parameters. The data were statistically analyzed. Results: The mean nasal width for male and female was 38.23 mm and 34.94 mm while the mean nasal height was 47.59 mm and 44.35 mm, respectively. The mean nasal index for male subjects (81.08) was also higher than for female subjects (77.30). The morphological classification showed the mesorrhine nose type as the most prevalent among both the males (58.88%) and females (66.66%). Discussion and Conclusion: The population under the study exhibits mesorrhine type of the nose and shows sexual dimorphism in the values of nasal measurements. Thus, the current study is valuable not only in forensic facial reconstruction but also as an added method for determining the gender and ethnicity of an unidentified individual.