Facial soft tissue thickness of Colombian adults

Facial reconstruction is a widely used technique in forensic sciences to identify human bone remains and, for such, it is necessary to be aware of the values of facial soft tissue thickness characteristic for each population group. In Colombia, no conclusive values exist regarding facial soft tissue thickness for populations of mixed racial origin that also consider the nutritional state. The study used images from 30 live subjects from both genders, 26 males and four females, age range from 18 to 35 years, The images were obtained through cone beam computed tomography in mestizo population from the city of Cali (Colombia), taken in sitting position and 0.3 mm resolution. The height and weight of all subjects were determined and their body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Seventeen facial thicknesses were measured over the corresponding anatomical landmarks of the skull. No significant difference was found associated to gender for most anatomical landmarks. However, where differences were found, these were mainly located on the anatomical landmarks of the medial line and particularly with greater value among males. Differences were observed in thicknesses for Colombian population when compared to other studies. The values of facial thickness characterize the Colombian population of mixed racial origin and permit greater approximation in facial reconstructions with forensic purposes.