Scientific Research and Essay Vol. 2 (1), pp. 020-022, January 2007 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/SRE ISSN 1992-2248 © 2007 Academic Journals Short Communication Nasal indices among major ethnic groups in southern Nigeria Oladipo, G.S. 1* , Olabiyi, A.O. 2 , Oremosu, A.A. 2 and Noronha, C. C. 2 1 Anatomy Department Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Port-Harcourt, Nigeria. 2 Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Idi-Araba, Lagos State, Nigeria. Accepted 27 December, 2006 Nasal index is an ethnicity sensitive anthropometric index; it is one of the important anthropometric parameters for suggesting the race and sex of an individual whose identity is unknown. In the present study, authors have worked out nasal indices in subjects of Igbo, Yoruba and Ijaw ethnic groups. 750 subjects each of Igbo and Yoruba with 175 subjects of Ijaw ethnic groups were measured for nasal height (NH) and nasal breadth (NB). Then the nasal indices were calculated from the measurements. The results showed that on the average, the Igbos had a mean nasal index of 94.1± 0.37, Yorubas 89.2±0.30 and the Ijaws 96.37±1.06. Thus the Ijaws had a significantly higher nasal index (p<0.05) than either the Igbos or Yorubas. Sexual dimorphism was also observed in all the ethnic groups studied with males having significantly higher (p<0.05) nasal index than the females. However, the three ethnic groups still fall within the same nose type platyrrhine (short and broad nose) expected of an African population. The result of this study has confirmed anthropological differences amongst the three Nig- erian ethnic groups investigated. Key words: Nasal indices, ethnic differences, Igbo, Yoruba, Ijaw. INTRODUCTION The Igbos, Yorubas and Ijaws are the indigenous people of South-Eastern, South Western and South-Southern parts of Nigeria, respectively. All the three groups are of African decent and south of the Sahara. Ethnicity is a variable that affects craniofacial dimensions (Rajakshmi et al., 2001). Nasal index is very useful in anthropology in distinguishing racial and ethnic differences (Franciscus, 1991; Porter and Olson, 2003; Aung et al., 2000). It also exhibits sexual differences (Zhang et al., 1990). And it has become a useful tool in Forensic Science (Xu et al., 2001). Variables that determine the shape of the nose include race, tribe and environmental climatic conditions (Last, 1981), with narrower noses being favored in cold and dry climates and broader noses in warmer, moister ones as a consequence of natural selection in human evolution (Hall and Hall, 1995). The importance of nasal mor- phometric parameters is recognized in nasal surgical and medical management (Akpa et al., 2003; Romo and Abra *Corresponding author E-mail: oladipogabriel@yahoo.com. Tel: 08056103177. -ham, 2003; Daniel, 2003; Hansen and Mygind, 2002; All- anson et al., 1999; Zankl et al., 2002; Ochi and Ohashi, 1986; Macho, 1986). There are various categories of nose on the basis of nasal height, nasal breadth and nasal index. The three categories are commonly accepted (Williams et al., 1995; Porter and Olson, 2003). Values of the nasal height, bre- adth and index of African tribes from various geogr- aphical regions and ethnic make up are not as readily available as figures from other parts of the world. In Nig- eria, Akpa et al, has done a study on morphometric study of the nasal parameters in Nigerian Igbos (Akpa et al., 2003). This study was carried out to document and pro- vide a baseline data of nasal index which could be of im- portance in clinical practice, forensic and anthropological studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total number of 1675 subjects which comprised 750 Igbos, 750 Yorubas and 175 Ijaws with ages ranging from 22 - 30 years were used for the study. Four hundred and ninety (490) of the Igbos was males while 260 were females. Four hundred and forty three (443) of the Yoruba subjects were males while 307 were females. One