In vivo facial tissue depth measurements of African Nova Scotian children for 3-D forensic facial reconstruction

Abstract

This study collaborated with the African Nova Scotian community to create the first African Canadian facial tissue depth database to help identify missing children of this descent. The relationships between tissue thickness, age, and sex were investigated, and comparisons were made with contemporary data for African Americans and White European Americans. Ultrasound technology was utilized to measure the facial tissue thickness of 54 living subadult African Nova Scotians between 3 and 18 years of age at 19 standardized points. Results revealed significant relationships between tissue thickness and age at some points. Sex was a strong determinant of tissue depth around puberty. African Nova Scotians had thicker tissues in the jaw and cheek regions than the American populations suggesting nutritional status is a strong factor. The topic of collapsing data is addressed and subadult facial tissue depth data is presented in several formats to assist in multiple forensic contexts.