The morphologic and morphometric analysis of the face: A cadaveric study

Objectives: The morphologic and morphometric analysis of the face is crucial for organizing facial surgeries and anthropological and anatomical studies. Therefore multiple measurements of the face were carried out to determine the morphometric and morphologic differences of the face according to gender and body side to investigate the presence of sexual dimorphism and symmetry/asymmetry in fixed cadaveric heads. Methods: Face measurements were conducted on cadavers (n=6) and fixed cadaveric heads (n=24). The lengths, diameters, and distances to the nearby surgical landmarks were measured on both sides. The incidence of face types and the facial index were calculated in accordance with anatomical and surgical landmarks in both the horizontal and vertical directions. Results: When the measured parameters were evaluated according to sex, it was found that Zy-Zy (Zy=Zygion), nasal body, and the width/length of the columella in males were higher than in females and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). The most observed facial types were hyperleptoprosopic and it was followed by leptoprosopic types in cadavers. Females had megaseme according to the Orbital Index (OI) on both sides. The danger triangle of the face was greater in males than in females and therefore, it can be said that the risk of infection in this region is higher in males. Conclusion: Aanatomical and anthropometric measurements showed differences according to gender. And these findings contribute to our understanding of the anatomical variations and interdependencies within the face. And when comparing the measurements between males and females, distinct differences were observed, indicating sexual dimorphism. Keywords: facial anthropometry, face, cadaver, facial index, face types