Ethnic Comparison of Inner and Outer Intercanthal Distance among Adult Sudanese

Background: Anthropometric pattern of the inner and outer intercanthal distance varies with no universal normative values. This study was conducted on three Sudanese ethnic groups, namely blacks, Arabs, and Hamites to identify normative values and the ethnic and gender influence in the anthropometric pattern of the inner and outer intercanthal distance. Methods: This is a cross sectional study among Sudanese subjects selected randomly from Khartoum Teaching Dental Hospital and Port Sudan Dental Hospital, using a stratified sampling technique. The inner intercanthal distance (IICD) and outer intercanthal distance (OICD) were measured directly using a digital caliber. Result: A total of 280 subjects included with a mean age of 35.76 ± 12.23 years, 122 males and 158 females. The distribution of groups was as follow: 92 (33%) Arabs, 62 (22%) blacks, and 126 (45%) Hamites. The mean IICD of males and females are 31.50 mm ± 2.89 and 32.22 mm ± 3.17, respectively. The mean OICD are 95.09 mm ± 5.78 and 93.95 mm ± 4.27 for males and females, respectively, with a statistically significant relationship. Regarding the ethnic group differences, the mean of IICD was wider among the blacks, followed by the Arabs and Hamites. However, the mean of OICD was wider among the Hamites, followed by the blacks and the Arabs. Conclusion: Intercanthal distance differs across ethnic groups. Gender and ethnicity are two of the main parameters that affect the variation as this study showed in the current study. These findings would be applicable in clinical setup as reference values during surgical planning.