A Study of Facial Index among Malay Population

Facial analysis is anthropologically useful to identify the racial, ethnical, and sexual differences. The present study was done to see the sex difference and variation of facial index among Malaysian population. Cross-sectional descriptive type of study was done in Anatomy Department in UniKL RCMP which was performed on 81 Malay people (40 males, 41 females) aged 19–30 years. To measure the morphological parameters (facial height, facial width, and facial index), digital slide calliper and scale were used. There were significant differences found in all facial parameters of males compared with the females. The mean morphological facial height was 111.9？±？8.4 and morphological facial width was 127.3？±？8.0. The range of facial index was 67.44–106.90 for males and 75.21–97.99 for females. The total facial index was calculated according to the formula and the results obtained were analyzed statistically using the -test which was statistically significant (0.003). The dominant phenotype in Malay population was mesoprosopic or round face (45%) and least common face type was hyperleptoprosopic or very long face (5%). There were significant variations in the face index between Malay males and females; further study with large sample size in different races in Malaysia is recommended. 1. Introduction Two persons are never alike in their measurable characters [1] and hence study of intra- and interpopulation variations among different morphological characters has long been an interest of the anthropologists [2, 3]. Anthropometry constitutes the technique of expressing quantitatively the form of the body and the sexual dimorphism refers to phenotypic characteristics that differ between males and females of the same species [4, 5]. For evaluation of these variations it should be established for a particular population [6]. The comparison of the changes in facial index between parents, offspring, and sibling can give the clue to genetic transmission of inherited characters [7, 8]. Human facial contour has always been an interesting subject for anatomists, anthropologists, plastic surgeons, and artists and also the identification of an individual’s race is an essential component in forensic identification and reconstructive surgery [7]. Accurate facial analysis such as facial height, facial width, and facial index is essential for diagnosis of genetic and acquired anomalies for the study of normal and abnormal growth and for morphometric investigations. Facial index may be an important factor in increasing susceptibility to obstructive sleep apnea as europrosopic