Midline facial tissue thicknesses of subadults from a longitudinal radiographic study.

Fourteen midline facial tissue measurements were taken from 615 tracings of lateral radiographs of subadults aged 8 to 20 years. The data were collected to examine two questions: First, are there differences in facial soft tissue measurements between female and male subadults? Second, do facial tissue thicknesses change as children grow? Results indicate that males exhibit greater tissue thickness measurements than females but only significantly so after age 14. Results further indicate a trend of increased facial tissue thickness as individuals grow; however, correlations are weak and suggest that other unknown factors are involved. Data presented here can be of practical application for facial reproduction in forensic cases.