Facial soft tissue thickness in the Brazilian population: New reference data and anatomical landmarks

• Published in: Forensic science international Vol. 231; no. 1; pp. 404.e1 - 404.e7
• Main Authors: de Almeida, Natalie Haddad, Michel-Crosato, Edgard, de Paiva, Luiz Airton Saavedra, Biazevic, Maria Gabriela Haye
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 10-09-2013; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adult; Approximation; Brazil; Cadaver; Ethics; Face - anatomy & histology; Facial; Facial approximation; Female; Females; Forensic Anthropology; Forensic anthropology population data; Forensic dentistry; Forensic science; Forensic sciences; Genealogy; Human Identification; Humans; Landmarks; Male; Middle Aged; Pathology; Reference Values; Sex; Sex Characteristics; Soft tissue thickness; Soft tissues; Studies; Brazil; Forensic dentistry; Facial approximation; Forensic anthropology; Soft tissue thickness; Human Identification; Forensic anthropology population data
• ISSN: 0379-0738; 1872-6283
• DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2013.05.024

Abstract Facial soft tissue thickness measurement can be useful among several medico-legal techniques that aim to establish the identity of skeletal remains. This study examined the soft tissue thickness that covered the faces of autopsied cadavers sent to the Medico-Legal Institute of Guarulhos from September 2010 to September 2011. Forty-nine anatomical facial landmarks were measured in cadavers less than 24 h after death; these data were analysed using two-tailed t -tests. This project was approved by an ethics committee. One hundred cadavers were studied (74 males and 26 females). A majority of these individuals had died between 41 and 60 years old. Of the 49 anatomical landmarks, only five differed between the sexes (i.e., p -value less than 0.05): upper lip margin ( p = 0.006), superior labial sulcus ( p = 0.006), stomion ( p = 0.001), right lateral orbit ( p = 0.008), and left cheilion ( p = 0.009). The inclusion of additional anatomical landmarks allowed us to establish more precise facial thickness parameters that have the potential to be applied to cadaver facial approximations in Brazil; furthermore, some anatomic landmarks presented a higher discriminant power with regard to sex.