Advisory Committee Chair
Chung How Kau
Advisory Committee Members
Amjad Javed
Nada Souccar
Christos Vlachos
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2013
Degree Name by School
Master of Science (MS) School of Dentistry
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to compare the facial morphologies of an adult African-American population to an adult Caucasian-American population using three-dimensional surface imaging. Materials and Methods: Three-dimensional facial images were captured via a stereo-photogrammetric camera system (3dMDfaceTM system). One hundred images of each population (African-American and Caucasian-American) were taken. Subjects were between 19-30 years of age, normal BMI, and no gross craniofacial anomalies. All facial images were aligned and combined using Rapidform 2006 Plus Pack 2 software to produce a male and female facial average for each population. The facial averages were then superimposed for comparison and the differences quantified and described. Results: Distinct differences were noted between the two populations. These differences were mostly in the forehead, alar base, and perioricular regions. The average facial difference between the African-American and Caucasian-American females was 1.18 ± 0.98 mm. The African-American females had a broader face, wider alar base, and more protrusive lips. The Caucasian-American females had a more prominent chin, malar region, and lower forehead. The average facial difference between the African-American and Caucasian-American males was 1.11 ± 1.04 mm. The African-American males had a more prominent upper forehead and periocular region, wider alar base, and more protrusive lips. However, there was no notable difference in chin points between the two male populations. Conclusions: Average faces can be created from three-dimensional photographs and used to compare the facial morphological differences between various populations and genders. African-American males tend to have a more prominent upper forehead and periocular region, wider alar base, and more protrusive lips. Caucasian-American males show a more prominent nasal tip and malar area. African-American females tend to have generally broader face, wider alar base, and more protrusive lips. Caucasian-American females show a more prominent chin point, malar region, and lower forehead.
Recommended Citation
Talbert, Leslie, "Three-Dimensional Photography of Facial Morphology of Adult African-Americans Compared to Various Population Sets" (2013). All ETDs from UAB. 3095.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/3095