Ultrasonic measurement of facial tissue depth in a Northern Chinese Han population

• Published in: Forensic science international Vol. 259; pp. 247.e1 - 247.e6
• Main Authors: Jia, Linpei, Qi, Baiyu, Yang, Jingyan, Zhang, Weiguang, Lu, Yingqiang, Zhang, Hong-Liang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.02.2016; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adult; Age; anthropology; Asian Americans; Body Mass Index; Body Weights and Measures - methods; China; Chinese people; Ethnic Groups; eyes; face; Face - anatomy & histology; Face - diagnostic imaging; Facial; Facial tissue depth; Female; Females; Forensic anthropology population data; Forensic engineering; Forensic science; Forensic sciences; Gender; Genealogy; Han nationality; Humans; Male; Males; Medical imaging; Mouth; Northern China; Nose; Pathology; Reconstruction; scientists; Sex Factors; Statistical analysis; students; Studies; tissues; ultrasonics; Ultrasonography; Volunteers; Young Adult; China; Han nationality; Forensic science; Facial tissue depth; Northern China; Forensic anthropology population data; Ultrasonography
• ISSN: 0379-0738; 1872-6283; 1872-6283
• DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.12.012

•We collected facial soft tissue depth data of 135 subjects in northern China.•We examined whether BMI, gender and ancestry influence the tissue depth.•Tissue depth of 11 out of 19 for males and females are related to BMI.•Facial tissue thickness of 12 points is affected by gender.•The depths of 11 points are thicker in females for the same age and gender. In forensic anthropology, facial soft tissue depth measurement is crucial for craniofacial reconstruction technology, which is based on the morphological features of human faces to rebuild appearances of decedents, helps forensic scientists to identify the nameless bone. We measured the facial tissue depth of 135 young subjects from northern China whereby revealing the relationship among tissue depth, sex and BMI as well as providing data for craniofacial reconstruction in forensic science. All the volunteers are healthy medical students including 64 males and 71 females. Ultrasound was used to measure 19 points across the face evenly distributed in 6 regions including the eye, nose, mouth, cheek, jaw and chin. Our results indicate that tissue thickness at 11 points of females and 11 points of males are related to BMI. A majority of points are thicker in females than those of males. Further comparisons with data of American and European population show an apparent diversity in both genders.