Anthropometric analysis of orbital and nasal parameters for sexual dimorphism: New anatomical evidences in the field of personal identification through a retrospective observational study

Orbital and nasal parameters among modern humans show considerable variation, which affects facial shape, and these characteristics vary according to race, region, and period in evolution. The aim of the study was to ascertain whether there are sex differences in the orbital and/or nasal indexes and/or the single measurements used to calculate these in a Kosovar population. The following parameters were taken into consideration: orbital height (OH), orbital width (OW), nasal height (NH), and nasal width (NW). The ratios between orbital index/nasal index (RONI) were calculated. All measurements were obtained from a population sample comprising 408 individuals. The accuracy in sex prediction was 52.86% (CI95% = 45.05%-60.67%) for NW and 64.96% for NH (CI95% = 57.50%- 72.42%). The difference between male and female indexes was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The anthropometric study revealed that only NW and NH are configured as predictors of sexual dimorphism. It could be useful to increase the number of samples to test the discriminant function in other population groups.

Automated summary

This study aimed to determine whether there are sex differences in the orbital and nasal indexes and single measurements used to calculate them in a Kosovar population. The results showed that nasal width and nasal height are predictive indicators of sexual dimorphism.