Nasofacial Anthropometric Study among Adult Santals and Bangalees of Northern Area of Bangladesh

Abstract

Introduction: Anthropology is the science of human body morphology.In forensic medicine, anthropometric measurementsare usually used to identify an individual.Medical scientists, as well as anthropology experts, use facial measurements forseveral purposes such as identification of congenital and traumatic abnormalities.Facial measurements are interestingly variedbetween diverse races and ethnicities. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the facial and nasal anthropometric measurements of adult Santals and Bangalees residing in Northern area of Bangladesh and to determine their status in relation to other population studied elsewhere. Design: It was a cross sectional comparative study. Material sand Method: This cross sectional study was conducted in the anatomy department of Rajshahi Medical College,during the period of January 2021 to December 2021.This study was performed on 300 individuals (150 Bangalee and 150Santal) with normal craniofacial configuration, without history of trauma in the face and no history of nose and face cosmeticsurgery such as Septoplasty or Septorhinoplasty..Purposive sampling technique was adopted in this study. Results: Most common type of face in both the Santals (92%) and the Bangalee (99.30%) respondents in Northern area of Bangladesh was Hyperleptoprosopic type of face. Leptorrhine type was predominant (84%) nasal type among the Bangaleeand 51.30% Mesorrhine and 48% Platyrrhine type were predominant nasal type among the adult Santals. Conclusions: Findings of this study will provide to build database for nasofacial, maxillofacial, cosmetic surgeons &orthodontist which help them in making diagnosis of congenital and traumatic nasofacial anomalies & planning theirreconstructive surgeries. The findings of the study may also help forensic experts in identifying the victims and assailants ofcriminal cases.