PAPER ANTHROPOLOGY Ra  ıssa Ananda Paim Strapasson, 1 Ph.D. Cl audio Costa, 2 Ph.D.; and Rodolfo Francisco Haltenhoff Melani, 1 Ph.D. Forensic Facial Approximation: Study of the Nose in Brazilian Subjects † ABSTRACT: Forensic facial approximation is an auxiliary method for human identification and allows facial recognition. The midface, that includes the nose, is vital for the recognition of a familiar face. The purpose of this study was to set hard tissue parameters to estimate nasal width, to test the method to estimate nasal width of Brazilians, and to analyze the relationship between nasal profile and facial type. A total of 246 computed tomography scans (183 females and 63 males) of adults were analyzed in Horos. Bone tissue measurements and facial type clas- sification were performed on the skull scan. Nasal profile morphology was accessed through the tool 3D surface rendering. There was a differ- ence around 3 mm from real to predicted nose through the method to estimate nasal width in Brazilians. So, the method may be used in forensic practice. Straight nose was associated with long face type. KEYWORDS: forensic science, human identification, facial reconstruction, facial recognition, nasal profile, nose Forensic facial approximation is an auxiliary method for human identification and may be used to produce a list of names from which the individual may be identified by dental analysis or DNA analysis (1–3). It has been demonstrated that the central face, which includes the eyes, the nose and the mouth, is essential for the recognition of a familiar face, although the role of each structure in this pro- cess is not clear (2,4). Despite its anatomy (tissues that degener- ate after death) and position on the face, the nose is the focus of several forensic studies. A large and growing body of literature has investigated the nasal tip in order to determine its projection from the skull (5–14). So far, however, there has been little discussion about the nasal width and its relationship with hard tissues (8,15–18). The nasal cartilages (wing of the nose) influences the lower third of the nose’s shape in both front and profile views (8). Thus, alter- ation in the configuration of this structure can significantly alter not only the nasal morphology but also the appearance of the face as a whole and, consequently, jeopardize facial recognition. The main references that have been studied to propose meth- ods to estimate nasal width are nasal bones, piriform aperture, and anterior nasal spine (8,15,16,18). There is still insufficient data for the relationship between the teeth and the nasal width and a hypothesis would be that the nasal width could be related to the upper canine teeth (17,19). It is possible to analyze and classify a skull as an ancestral group (2), but it becomes a challenge in populations with a high degree of admixture, as observed in Brazil. The main ancestor groups used in the forensic context are European, African descent, and Asian des- cent (2), and they influence not only facial features but also the facial profile. European shows a long face profile, narrow piriform aperture, prominent anterior nasal spine, inclined nose bridge, nar- row nose, and more prominent upper portion of the face (2,20). African descent also shows long face type but less prominent than European (20). The piriform aperture is wide, the nose bridge is little prominent, and the nose is broad and not very protrusive (2,20). On the other hand, Asian descent tends to pre- sent short face type (20). The piriform aperture width is medium, the nasal root is flat, the anterior nasal spine is small, the nose is small, and the nose profile is straight (2,20). The sex plays also an important role on nose characteristics, and it is more evident after puberty (21). The piriform aperture in males is typically higher, thinner, and with sharper margins than in women (2). As a consequence, the male nose is large, protrusive, and straight (2). On the other hand, female noses are smaller and concave (2). So, the aim of this study was to determine parameters to esti- mate the nasal width in forensic facial approximation, to analyze if there is a correlation between nasal profile and facial type, and to test the linear regression equations proposed to estimate nasal width in Brazilian subjects (18). Material and Method This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the School of Dentistry at the University of S~ ao Paulo (proto- col 2.135.168). 1 Department of Social Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of S~ ao Paulo, Av. Professor Lineu Prestes, 2227, S~ ao Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil. 2 Department of Stomatology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of S~ ao Paulo, Av. Professor Lineu Prestes, 2227, S~ ao Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil. Corresponding author: Ra  ıssa Ananda Paim Strapasson, Ph.D. E-mail: raissa.ananda@gmail.com †Financed in part by the Coordenac ß~ ao de Aperfeic ßoamento de Pessoal de N  ıvel Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001. Received 28 Mar. 2019; and in revised form 19 April 2019; accepted 25 April 2019. 1 © 2019 American Academy of Forensic Sciences J Forensic Sci, 2019 doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.14081 Available online at: onlinelibrary.wiley.com