Evaluation of the relationship between nasal septal deviation and development of facial asymmetry with anthropometric measurements depending on age

Aim: To determine age, gender, degree and area of exposure dependent change in facial asymmetry due to septum deviation (SD) and SD's effect on body somatotype and craniofacial morphology. Materials and Methods: 171 volunteers (90 males, 81 females), 27 aged 9-13, 44 aged 14-18, 44 aged 19-23 and 56 controls, participated in the study conducted in Medicine faculty Anatomy department and Malatya Training and Research Hospital Otorhinolaryngology polyclinic. 27 measurements (11 photometric, 16 anthropometric) were taken. Mann-Whitney U, dependent-independent samples t-test, Wilcoxon test were used in paired comparisons; Chi-square and ROC analysis were used in asymmetry assessment. Results: SD affects facial asymmetry formation, although not statistically significant compared to healthy individuals' asymmetry rates (p˃0.05). Photometric measurements showed asymmetries in horizontally-extending parameters of 1/3 middle part of face. Order of parameters by determining facial asymmetry effect was Alare-Zygion, Alare-Subnasale, Cheilion-Gonion, Exocanthion-Cheilion, Midsagittal plan-Zygion, Zygion-Cheilion, Zygion-Gonion, Subalare-Cheilion, Glabella-Exocanthion. SD degree was effective between 14 and 18 (adolescence) in developing asymmetry, which wasn't statistically dependent on age and gender in SD patients (p˃0.05). There weren't statistically significant differences in upper and lower 1/3 of face and cranial anthropometric measurements (p˃0.05). In SD patients, asymmetric patients with SD and control group, dominant somatotype was endomorph in females, mesomorph in males; SD didn't affect somatotype and somatotype didn't change with age. Conclusion: Since healthy people also have facial asymmetries, we believe solution isn't SD elimination alone and since age and gender don't affect facial asymmetry development in SD, surgery shouldn't be planned at early ages. Keywords: Craniofacial anthropometry, Facial asymmetry, Nasal septal deviation, Somatotype