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Facial index among Igbo children and adolescents in Enugu

Obinna Remigius Okwesili , Emmanuel Nebuwa Obikili, Johnson Uche Achebe

Facial dimensions are influenced by age, sex, tribe or race. This knowledge is invaluable in craniofacial surgeries, forensic medicine and bioengineering. The purpose of this study is to establish the predominant types of face among Igbo children and adolescents in Enugu based on their facial indexes, to correlate the facial indexes with age, height and weight. The facial parameters of 725 Igbo children and adolescents with a range of 5 and 19 years were measured, their facial indexes calculated with the appropriate formula and the data were analysed using SSPS version 20. The predominant facial types were hyperleptoprosopic and leptoprosopic in both children and adolescents. Facial index had no significant correlation with age, height, weight and body mass index (BMI) but morphological facial height and maximum facial width showed significant positive correlation with age, height, weight and body mass index (p<0.01). Morphological facial height was longer in males than females while maximum facial width was wider among the females. The facial types of Igbo children and adolescents based on cephalic index differ from those of other tribe or race. These findings are important in anthropology, human anatomic studies, forensic medicine and surgical reconstruction of the face.