Morphological characteristics of auricula in children from Kyustendil region (Southwest Bulgaria)

Abstract

The shape of human auricula is characterized by specific features. The diversity of these individual characteristics can be used in forensic identification of individuals. Inter and intrapopulation variability in the shape of auricula is not thoroughly investigated neither in Bulgaria, nor worldwide. The present study was conducted in the town of Kyustendil (Southwest Bulgaria). The examined sample comprised 240 individuals of both sexes 120 school boys and 120 school girls (11 to 18 years of age). The shape of auricula and the absence/presence of tuberculum auriculae Darwini were defined by the scale of Schwalbe-Martin and Saller (1959). The most common form of both ears in the examined group is form 6 (60.00%) followed by form 3 with 20.83%. When an additional tuberculum Darwini was present, it was mostly asymmetrically positioned in both sexes. High percentage of individuals with ears positioned in a greater distance from the surface of the head was also established. Within the examined male group, 20.83% had prominent ears, the percentage was higher in comparison with the females, where the percentage was 1.66 % lower than in males.