Anthropometric measurements of the external nose in 18-25-year-old Sistani and Baluch aborigine women in the southeast of Iran.

The human nose differs in its anatomy and morphology between different racial and ethnic groups. The objective of this survey was to provide data for clinical plastics of the nose, medical aesthetics and cosmetology, anthropology, nationality study, and medical jurisprudence in Sistani (Fars) and Baluch aborigines in the southeast of Iran. The subjects participating in this study were 400 volunteer Baluch and Sistani aborigine women (in both groups the number of subjects was 200) within the age range of 18-25 years. Anthropometric data were obtained from all subjects using standard anthropometric methods with a sliding calliper. The data were analyzed using SPSS 11.0. Values were expressed as mean +/- standard deviation (SD). Student t-test was used to compare the results. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. The mean total length and height of the nose in the Sistani group was significantly (p < 0.001) lower than in the Baluch group (46.5 +/- 1.8 vs. 53.0 +/- 1.3; 44.0 +/- 2.2 vs. 49.5 +/- 2.0). The mean anatomic width of the nose in the Sistani group was higher than in the Baluch group (32.3 +/- 1.3 vs. 31.4 +/- 1.5 mm). The nasal index in the Sistani group was significantly (p < 0.001) higher than in the Baluch group (69.7 +/- 3.5 vs. 59.2 +/- 3.3). The most common type of nose was leptorrhine (fine nose), accounting for 55.5% in the Sistani group and 98.5% in the Baluch group. The most common type of face in both groups was leptoprosopic. In spite of significant differences in measurements of noses in the Sistani and Baluch groups, the most common types of nose and face were similar in these two groups.