Cone-beam computed tomography analysis of the nasal morphology among Uyghur nationality adults in Xinjiang for forensic reconstruction

Abstract

Introduction: Facial reconstruction or approximation is the procedure of rebuilding a face onto an anonymous skull to aid identification in forensic and archaeological or paleobiological cases. In the procedure of facial identification, the relationship between hard and soft tissues of the face needs to be identified. The aim of this study is to investigate the shape variability and sexual dimorphism of the nose by using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans and establish normal values for the nasal form among Uyghur adults. Materials and methods: A total of 258 pre-treatment CBCT images of Uyghur adults (120 males and 138 females, aged 18–30 years old) were retrospectively retrieved from orthodontic clinical data. The three-dimensional parameters of the nasal soft structures and hard structures were measured. All CBCT images were traced using Dolphin 11.95 software. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 22.0. Results: Statistically significant differences were observed in terms of the nasal length, nasal height, nasal depth, and nasal tip angle between the Uyghur males and females. Uyghur males had longer dorsa and increased vertical distances from the pronasale to the posterior columellar point compared with females. Conclusions: These results suggest that gender and ethnicity must be considered when establishing normal values for the nasal form and its relationship to the other cranial structures. The clinical significance of this study is that hard and soft tissue relation data from CBCT can be useful for predicting the position of the nose. The values of the nasal form are useful for facial reconstruction and rhinoplasty.

Keywords

• Cone-beam computed tomography
• Nasal morphology
• Nasal length
• Facial reconstruction
• Nasal tip angle