Population Differences of Nasofrontal Angle Expression: A Coordinate‐Based Study

The nasofrontal angle has long been studied within the context of rhinoplasty and aesthetic surgery. However, few have observed the distribution of this trait over clinal zones ranging from temperate to tropical latitudes. This study tests the relationship between climate and nasofrontal angle on a sample (n=130) of dry crania from geographically diverse human populations. The nasofrontal angle was calculated from coordinate data collected among the landmarks glabella, nasion, and rhinion. Specimens of both sexes were used so that the maximum range of variation could be expressed in each population, thus allowing for a more stringent analysis. It was found that northern and southern Europeans are not significantly (p<0.05) different from each other or from North Africans and South East Asians. However, they possessed significantly (p<0.05) smaller (i.e., more acute) angles than the Inuit, Chinese, and East and West African samples, which did not exhibit any significant differences among each other or from the North Africans and South East Asians. Nasofrontal angle may share a closer relationship with nasal projection than climate as leptorrhine Europeans possess the most acute angles. However, the results may indicate separate population histories of Europeans and Inuit who, despite both inhabiting relatively northerly latitudes, developed separate adaptations to cold climate.Grant Funding Source: SUNY Downstate College of Medicine