3-DIMENSIONAL STUDY OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE NOSE

Objective:The aim of this study was to describe normal nasal growth in a large sample of boys and girls from 6 to 14 years of age, to compar e nasal development at 14 years of age with its adult dimensions, and to evaluate differences in growth patterns between males and females. Design: Growth and development of the nose were analyzed through the t hree-dimensional facial morphometry method, One thousand thirteen exam inations were performed on 402 children between 6 and 14 years of age and on 101 adults. Three-dimensional coordinates of five nasal landmar ks were collected. Eleven parameters including nasal Volume and extern al surface were calculated and averaged for age and sex. Results: Volu me, surface, and linear distances were larger in males than in females , with the exception of the 11-to-12 age group, where a sharp female g rowth spurt was present. In males, the growth spurt was broader, and c ontinued to 13 years of age at a nearly steady rate. Statistically sig nificant gender differences could be found both in the adult group and before the adolescent growth spurt. Conclusions: Our findings are in general agreement with previous reports on craniofacial growth, which suggested a strong tendency in males for growth to continue for severa l years beyond that seen in females.