Morphometric variations of three sub-adult populations in Malaysia using multi-slice computed tomography data

This study was aimed to determine differences in cranial measurements in three sub-adult populations in Malaysia using multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) data.

A total of 521 cranial MSCT datasets of Malaysian sub-adults (0-20 years old) consisting of Malay, Chinese, and Indian populations were analysed and constructed into three-dimensional (3D) cranial models using Mimics software version 21. 14 selected craniometric parameters were measured on the 3D models, adhering to the plane-to plane protocol. All measurements were statistically analysed using discriminant function analysis.

Cranial measurements such as maximum cranial width, biasteronic width, and occipital chord showed significant differences among Malays, Chinese, and Indians. In addition, a high similarity of the measurements between Chinese and Malays compared to Indians and Malays, and to Chinese and Indians, was demonstrated. The highest classification accuracy was obtained in the age group of 10-12 years, with Indians achieving the highest accuracy (72.2%), followed by Chinese (71.8%) and Malays (58.3%). The accuracy percentages between the pooled-sex and male/female formulas were relatively similar.

This study has demonstrated the presence of morphometric variations among three different sub-adult populations in Malaysia using MSCT datasets.