Anthropometric Study of Nasal Indices in Undergraduate Omani Medical Students

Background: The nasal index (NI) varies across populations. Nasal indices (NIs) characterize the human face. This study examined the NIs in the Omani population. The NI provides objective measures of facial morphology, contributing to population differentiation and anthropological research while also supporting forensic biological profiling and human identification. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 149 Omanis aged 18–24 years. We initially collected demographic data using a questionnaire and screened the participants for eligibility. A Housolution 0–300 mm digital sliding caliper (Shenzhen, China) was used to obtain the NI measurements. Two trained researchers independently performed the measurements. Continuous variables were summarized using mean ± standard deviation (SD), and associations between nasal measurements were evaluated using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients. Results: The NI was significantly higher in males than in females (68.4 ± 7.1 vs. 56.1 ± 6.8, respectively; p < 0.001). The most prevalent nasal type was leptorrhine (50.3%). Conclusions: This study provides descriptive data on the distribution of the NI in young Omani adults. These findings may support future comparative anthropometric studies but should not be interpreted as validated measures for forensic identification.