Study of the correlation between the linear measurements of the skull and face and palatal wide and length measures

Objective:   To analyze the relation between the anthropometric linear measurements of the skull and face and the measurements of width and length of the hard palate.

Methods:   Twenty-three human skulls were used, and the measurements were collected with the help of a caliper and pelvimeter. The following linear measurements were studied: maximum cranial length, biporion distance, maximum face width, nasal height, palatal length, and palatal width.

Results:   After a complete descriptive assessment of the variables, we observed homogeneity in the measurements of the skull, face, and palate. There were correlations, with higher significance, between the palatal length and width and the maximum face width and the biporion distance, respectively. The biporion distance was the only measurement that was significant in the explanation, generating formulas to obtain the palatal length and width.

Conclusion:  It is possible to estimate the palatal length and the palatal width using the two models (formulas) through the measurements of the biporion distance. Because in the literature, there is no consensus, there is a need for standardization when obtaining the linear measurements of the palate.

Keywords:
Anthropometry; Skull; Hard palate; Face; Speech-language pathology and audiology