The aim of this study was to determine the types of face shape in the Turkish population. Knowledge on face shape is important in anthropology and for planning medical procedures such as in aesthetic, maxillofacial and orthodontic surgery. The study group consisted of 1003 healthy subjects (470 male, 533 female) aged 18–68 years. Mean height, weight and body mass index (BMI) were 1.74 m, 78.65 Kg, 25.80±3.50 kg/m2 and 1.62 m, 60.55 kg, 22.87±3.49 kg/m2 in males and females, respectively. Face length (FL; the distance from nasion to gnathion) and face width (FW; bizygomatic breadth) were measured, from which a Prosopic Index (PI) was determined using the following formula: (PI= FL/FW x 100). The types of face shape were classified according to Banister’s classification Type I (hypereuryprosopic), Type II (euryprosopic), Type III (mesoprosopic), Type IV (leptoprosopic), Type V (hyperleptoprosopic) in both males and females. PI was 84.31 (FL: 12.07 cm; FW: 14.34 cm) in males and 85.25 (FL: 11.30 cm; FW: 13.28 cm) in females. In males and females Type I face shape was observed in 18.1 % and 15.6 %; Type II in 35.3 % and 34.3 %; Type III in 33.2 % and 34.3 %; Type IV in 8.7 % and 11.8 %; and Type V in 4.7 % and 3.9 %, respectively. The determination of types of face shape as presented in this study may be useful for aesthetic surgical procedures as well as medical and anthropological investigations.
KEY WORDS: Prosopic index; Face length; Face width; Face shape.
