Anthropometric study of the ear in the Vietnamese adult population

External ear reconstructive surgery is often needed due to congenital malformations or acquired traumas, which requires surgeons to comprehend ear norms as morphological variations exist between ethnicities. This study presents the first set of anthropometric data specific to the Vietnamese adult ear.

A cross-sectional study involving 2,000 Vietnamese participants (1,000 women and 1,000 men) aged 18-25 years without a history of ear malformations, trauma, or surgery was conducted. On the left ear, 14 anatomical landmarks were defined, and 13 ear dimensions were measured using a standardized photographic analysis method.

The 13 ear dimensions measured on both genders are ear length, ear breadth, ear length above tragus, ear length below tragus, tragus length, concha length, concha breadth, lobule height, lobule width, distance from the tragus to antihelix, distance from the tragus to helix, the measurement between the posterior point of the tragus and a point of the helix, width of the intertragic incisura and depth of the intertragic incisura. Most notably, mean values of ear length, ear breadth, concha length, and concha breadth in female subjects were found to be 58.70 ± 4.20, 29.75 ± 2.53, 26.87 ± 2.27, and 15.92 ± 2.39, respectively. In males, the corresponding values were 63.11 ± 4.95, 30.81 ± 2.97, 29.02 ± 2.64, and 15.96 ± 2.63, respectively.

Gender-based differences in left ear morphology were observed, with measurements being higher in males for 10 out of 13 variables. Furthermore, our findings highlight distinctive ear dimensions among Vietnamese individuals compared to other ethnic groups. However, since we only studied the left ear, further research should investigate the dimensions of the right ear and assess symmetry between both sides.