Study of cephalic index of first-phase medical students of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, Jharkhand

The cephalic index (CI), first identified by Swedish professor of Anatomy Anders Retzius and first measured by Czech-American anthropologist Ales Hrdlicka, is critical for anthropometric parameter, used in treatment around head, identifying archaeological, racial and gender differences, also in diagnosing cranial abnormalities, and understanding evolutionary trends. CI is used in marketing also, as in manufacturing helmets, eye gears, and ear gears.

To study the proportion of different categories of CI of first-phase medical students of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi, Jharkhand.

'Observational Cross-Sectional Study' at 'Department of Anatomy, RIMS, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India'.

This cross-sectional observational study, conducted from 01.02.2020 to 31.10.2021 on 205 first-phase medical students [120 (58.54%) males and 85 (41.46%) females] from RIMS, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India, examined CI variations with the help of a manual spreading calliper and scale. Hrdlicka's method was used for CI measurements.

Mean, median, standard deviation (SD), P value, and other relevant data were analysed. Software used are Jamovi (2.3.28), MS Excel (MicroSoft Office 365), and Zotero (7.0.15).

Among total subjects, 31 (15.12%) were dolichocephalic, 73 (35.60%) were mesocephalic, 74 (35.92%) were brachycephalic, and 27 (13.17%) were hyperbrachycephalic. Among genders, a predominance of mesocephalic in males (44.16%) and brachycephalic in females (44.70%) is seen. These results show that sexual dimorphism exists in first-phase medical students of RIMS, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. The CI between genders was significant (P = 0.018). There are seen variations in ethnicity and students from outside Jharkhand also but not significant among study participants.

CI is significantly high in females as compared to males, whereas head length and head breadth are significantly high in males. This paper provides an essential reference for anthropologists, forensic experts, and anatomist.