Evaluation of nasomaxillary growth of adolescent boys in northeastern Iran

Anthropometry, a useful method for evaluating craniofacial soft tissues, makes the quantitative description of the face possible. It also assesses the degree of disharmony and imbalance in the growth and development of the face. The aim of this study was to examine the overall common age-related changes of nasomaxillary complex of adolescent boys in northeast Iran. Three- hundred- twelve 12 to 15 year-old boys voluntarily participated in this study. They were divided into three age groups (12-13, 13-14 and 14-15 year-old groups). Digital photographs of the subjects' faces were taken in Natural Head Position (NHP) frontal and profile views. After determination of the landmarks, nine anthropometric parameters including nasal length, mouth width, alar width, columella width, philtrum height, nasal width, nasolabial angle, nasal root slope angle and nasal index were measured by the Smile Analyzer software considering the magnification ratio of each image. One way ANOVA and Tukey test were used for statistical analyses. Significant differences between the three groups were detected in the mean alar, mouth and philtrum widths, nose length, nasolabial angle and nasal index (P<0.05). We did not find any significant differences in the mean nasal-root-slope angle and the mean philtrum height between the groups (P=0.29 and P=0.13, respectively). Aging of the facial profile is not a gradual process; it occurs in spurts and at different periods of life. During the studied time span, significant growth in nose width and nose length was obvious.