Effect of the Ethnic Factor on Cranial Capacity and Brain Weight of Male Newborns in Northern Iran

Abstract

Brain weight and cranial capacity are useful in evaluating the health of newborns and providing a baseline to study the changes that might occur to the cranium in later years of life. A total of 419 normal male newborns were evaluated by classic cephalometry. The cranial capacities in the native Fars (n = 203) and Turkman (n = 216) groups were 599 ± 30 and 590 ± 30 ml, respectively (p < 0.05), and brain weights in these two groups were 619.9 ± 34 and 610.8 ± 31 g (p < 0.05). Therefore, an ethnic factor might influence brain weight and the cranial capacity of newborns.