MORPHOMETRIC STUDY OF SOME SELECTED NASAL PARAMETERS AMONG IGBO STUDENTS OF MADONNA UNIVERSITY, ELELE CAMPUS RIVERS STATE NIGERIA

Anthropometry, a key area within physical anthropology, focuses on the systematic measurement of the human body and its various parts. The study aims to evaluate some selected nasal parameters among students of Madonna University with respect to sex and age. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional study where 300 (150 males and 150 females) subjects of Igbo origin were used for the study. Each student was measured directly using the Vernier caliper in the Natural Head Position (NHP) to evaluate the selected nasal anthropometric parameters (left and right nostril floor width, columella width, nose width, nasal bridge length, nasal tip protrusion, columella length right and left ala thickness). The data obtained were analyzed using IBM SPSS (version 23) and an independent T-test and ANOVA were used as an inferential statistic. The study revealed clear and statistically significant sexual dimorphism in nasal anthropometry, with males consistently exhibiting larger dimensions than females across all measured parameters, including nostril floor width, columella width, nose width, nasal bridge length, nasal tip protrusion, columella length, and ala widths. In terms of age-related variations, most nasal parameters remained stable across the three age groups (≤17, 18–22, and 23–27 years), The only exception was nose width, which showed a statistically significant increase with age (p = 0.031), In conclusion, the study confirmed significant sexual dimorphism in nasal dimensions and identified nose width as the only parameter showing a significant age-related increase. Keywords: anthropometry, Igbo students, nasal, Madonna University, and human body .