Evaluation of Cephalic Index of the Henanigala Indigenous People in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Cephalic parameters are important in the studies of population variations, ethnic, racial and sexual identifications etc. The present study was aimed at evaluating the Cephalic Index (CI) of one group of indigenous people (Vedda community) living in Henanigala village in Sri Lanka. Despite their unique biological and cultural characteristics among other ethnic groups in the country, little attention was given to their cephalometric characteristics. A sample of one hundred and sixty-four (164) adult subjects comprising 106 females and 58 males were included in the study. They were divided into 5 age groups (19-29, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60yr+) and measured Cephalic Breadth (CB) and Cephalic Length (CL) individually. CI was calculated by dividing the CB by CL and multiplying by 100. Data were analyzed using SPSS data analyzing package and sexual differences were traced through t - test (p<0.05). CB, CL and CI of the females were 13.27 cm, 17.01 cm and 78.18 respectively. In males CB, CL and CI were reported as 13.51 cm, 17.48 cm and 77.30 respectively. Gender-based statistically significant differences were found in all principal cephalic dimensions. Among females and males most dominant cephalic types recorded were mesocephalic and brachycephalic which account for 45% and 26% among females and 43% and 29% among males respectively. The results of this study are significant for the anthropological, archaeological, forensic and clinical-oriented fields of studies where data are scarce.

KEYWORDS: Cephalometry, Cephalic Index, Henanigala, Sri Lanka, Vedda People