Abstract

Introduction: The orbit is the cavity of the skull in which the eye and its appendages are situated. Orbital dimensions of skull vary in different races of mankind. Its dimensions are better understood by the knowledge of the orbital index. Normal values of orbital height, orbital width and orbital index are vital measurements in evaluation and diagnosis of craniofacial syndromes, interpretation of fossil records, skull classification in forensic medicine, anthropological investigation of unknown individuals for determining gender, ethnicity, etc and in exploring the trends in evolutionary and ethnic differences Materials and methods: It is a cross sectional study conducted on 100 adult dry human skulls available in the Department of Anatomy, Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College, Kolar. The orbital dimensions were measured with the help of Vernier caliper. Results: The mean orbital height for the right and left sides were 31.6 ± 1.8mm and 31.8 ± 1.8mm while, their orbital width were 37.4 ± 2.1 and 37.2 ± 2.09 mm respectively. The mean orbital index was 84.49mm on right and 85.48mm on left side, and can be classified as Mesoseme category. Conclusion: This study provides useful baseline orbital morphometric data of South Indian population, which are very important during ophthalmological, plastic surgery, maxillofacial, reconstructive cosmetic surgeries of face and neurosurgeries and also in the forensic research.

Authors and Affiliations