Does Body Mass Index Affect Soft Tissue Facial Anthropometric Measurements?

This study aims to test the effect of body mass index on certain facial soft tissue measurements. Three hundred Arab Iraqi young adults with different body mass indexes were randomly selected from the population in Basrah city. Different horizontal and vertical soft tissue measurements were obtained using different calipers. Sex differences were verified by an independent sample t-test, while the effect of different body mass index categories was evaluated by one way ANOVA and Tukey tests. Obese males showed significantly higher mean values for weight, nose width, face width, head circumference, and lower facial third length (p <= 0.001). Obese females shared these parameters with obese males in addition to mouth width. Regarding sex differences, nearly all measurements were significantly higher in males than in females. Obese individuals had wider faces, noses and mouths; larger head circumferences and facial indexes; and longer lower facial third lengths. Moreover, they possessed smaller inner canthal widths as well as upper and middle facial thirds in comparison to normal and overweight subjects.