Anthropometric Study of Face of Western Maharashtrian Young Adults with Respect to Neoclassical Canon

Introduction: Evaluation of facial aesthetics plays a crucial role in the treatment of planning of prosthodontic, orthodontic, and plastic reconstructive surgery. For such surgeries, one promising baseline data should be available. No studies have been conducted to assess the validity of neoclassical canons within the Western Maharashtrian population.

Aim: The aim of the study is to check the validity of the neoclassical canon in the Western Maharashtrian population.

Materials and Methods: This was an observational type of study carried out from March 2018 to January 2020. The validity of the Naso-oral canon was checked in the Western Maharashtrian population. According to this canon ideal mouth width (ch-ch) (mouth width (distance between right and left corners of the mouth called chelion)) is 1.5 times Nose width/alar width (al-al) (alar width (distance between right and left ala of nose)). Mouth width = 1.5 times of Nose width. However, the mouth width can be less than 1.5 times of nose width or the mouth width can be greater than 1.5 times of nose width. This study was carried out in the five cities of Sangli, Kolhapur, Islampur, Karad and Satara of Western Maharashtra, India. A total of 1500 male and female students, 300 from each city, between the age group of 18-20 years were selected. Measurements were taken with the help of a digital Vernier caliper. The methodology adopted for the measurements was taken from the guidelines given by Farkas L.G. in his book- “Anthropometric Facial Proportions in Medicine”. All the collected data were subjected to appropriate statistical analysis (mean, standard deviation), and p-value. It was analysed by using a three-way ANOVA test with type III sum of squares.

Results: According to this canon ideal mouth width (ch-ch) should be equal to 1.5 times of nose width (al-al). In the present study, a total of 68.33% of subjects including males and females had mouth width (ch-ch) less than one and half times of nose width/alar width (al-al) i.e., ch- ch <1.5 (al-al). The remaining 31.67% of subjects had mouth width greater than one and a half times of nose width/alar width i.e., ch-ch >1.5(al-al).

Conclusion: Naso-oral neoclassical canon was not found valid in Western Maharashtrian young adults. In the 78.32% male and 62.80% female population of Western Maharashtra, mouth width was found to be less than one and a half times nose width.