Cephalic Measurements of Different Tribal Groups of Udaipur District of Southern Rajasthan, India

Abstract

Introduction: Cephalometry is an important part of physical Anthropology and medicine which is used for the determination of the morphological characteristics of the head. Cephalometric results can also be of great assistance in evaluating patients while imaging, in the filed of paediatrics, craniofacial surgery and study growth patterns. Aim: To determine cephalic measurements (head circumference and auricular head height) in tribes of Udaipur Rajasthan and also to find out gender-based differences, if any. Materials and Methods: This anthropometric study was carried out in the Department of Anatomy, RNT Medical College, Udaipur, Rajasthan. The subjects were 500 tribal people (269 male and 231 female) aged between 21 to 50 years. Head circumference (cm) and auricular head height (cm) were measured using Todd’s Head spanner and measuring tape to nearest 1 mm. Data were subjected to statistical analysis to find out Mean±SD and Independent group t-test was used for comparing two independent groups. The p-value <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: Overall, there were 269 (53.8%) tribal males and 231 (46.2%) females with mean age 33.10±8.64 and 34.67±8.17, respectively. The mean values of head circumference (cm) in Bheel, Damor, Garasia, Kathodi and Meena were 56.17±0.85, 56.13±1.11, 55.99±0.90, 56.53±1.08 and 56.26±1.13, respectively. The mean auricular head height (cm) in Bheel, Damor, Garasia, Kathodi and Meena were 13.20±0.39, 13.17±0.43, 12.99±0.24, 13.51±0.45 and 13.17±0.41, respectively. The values for mean head circumference (cm) and auricular head height (cm) were 56.19±1.02 and 13.17±0.40, respectively, in all study participants. The mean head circumference (cm) and auricular head height (cm) of tribal males were significantly higher (56.45±1.03 and 13.32±0.40, respectively) than females (55.87±0.90 and 13.00±0.32, respectively). Conclusion: Significant differences exist in mean values of head circumference and auricular head height between the tribal males and females, which indicates gender differences with significantly higher values for all anthropometric parameters in the male counterpart.