Authors
Ayushi Arora
Abstract
As a fundamental aspect of anthropology, anthropometrics examines the complex dimensions of human existence including the physical, emotional, social and cultural domains. Within this vast field, forensic anthropology is a key discipline, particularly in the context of crime scene investigations and mass disaster scenarios. Cephalometry, a subset of anthropometry, specializes in the measurement of craniofacial dimensions and provides invaluable insight into population characteristics and variation. This paper delves into a comprehensive investigation of anthropometric parameters in the population of Western Uttar Pradesh, sheds light on craniofacial morphologies and their correlation with demographic factors. Through careful data collection and analysis, the study reveals interesting patterns in cranial and facial indices and elucidates prevailing trends in head and face shapes among individuals from the region. Key findings reveal a prevalent presence of brachycephaly among both males and females, underscoring regional influences on head shape characteristics in northern India. In addition, mesocephaly emerges as a notable feature, highlighting the diverse morphological spectrum inherent in the population of western Uttar Pradesh. Analysis of facial morphology reveals a predominance of hyperleptoprosopic faces in women, challenging conventional trends and prompting further investigation into the underlying genetic and environmental determinants shaping facial proportions in this demographic. The significant positive correlations between head dimensions and facial parameters underscore the inherent interrelationships governing craniofacial development and enrich our understanding of patterns of coordinated growth in the study population. This research not only contributes to anthropological understanding of craniofacial diversity, but also has implications for forensic investigations, medical diagnosis, and population studies. By elucidating the anthropometric nuances specific to the population of western Uttar Pradesh, this work offers valuable insights into the complex interplay of genetics, environment and cultural influences shaping human morphology. Keywords: Anthropometric Landmarks, Cephalometry, Cephalic Index, Facial Index
Introduction
Anthropometry is the study of measurements of physical dimensions, mass of the human body such as bone, muscle, adipose tissue, or fat tissue (Ogot, 2021). Individuals are unique in terms of their quantifiable characteristics. Anthropologists have long been interested in studying morphological variations within and across populations (Prasanna, 2020). The word anthropometry is derived from the Greek word in which anthropo means human and metry means measurement (Attwood et al., 2004) Anthropometry used various techniques to measure and to get standard values for skeletal and soft tissue structure for different human populations (Krishan, 2008). Cephalometry is the morphological examination of all the structures in the human head (Zacharopoulos et al., 2015) Craniofacial structures are the consequence of a complex interplay between genes and environment, with cumulative effects (Kumar and Sabarigirinathan, 2019; Sarkodie et al., 2022) The cephalic index measures and evaluates the size of the skull (Pandey and Atreya, 2018) Cephalic and facial parameters are important in identification and racial morphological classification (Kuijpers and Marie, 2016) Every aspect of the body has a clear and proportionate relationship with others. Facial esthetics standards are not universally applicable to different racial and ethnic groupings (Majeed et al., 2018) Research on the craniofacial characteristics of many ethnic groups is underway to produce anthropometric data for diverse populations. Here this study is conducted to find out various craniofacial indices and to create standard baseline data on cephalofacial anthropometry in 151 Western Uttar Pradesh adults.
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How to cite this article?
| APA Style | Arora, A. (2024). Unreveling Craniofacial Index: A Study On Western Uttar Pradesh Population Of India. Academic Journal of Anthropological Studies, 07(02), 01–05. |
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