Facial growth of males and females compared by tensor analysis.

This study compares and contrasts the longitudinal differences in facial development between 18 male and 22 female subjects, employing the technique of tensor analysis. Children were examined in two age ranges: prepubertal (aged 7-10 years) and post-pubertal (15-20 years of age). Both the changes over time and the differences in amount and direction of growth between the sexes were subjected to statistical analysis. A tensor analysis permits the computation of differences in form (that is in size and shape) without specifically measuring either. Mean values for 21 hard and soft tissue landmarks were determined for both males and females at each age. Customized computer software allowed examination of the growth changes between 32 selected groups of points. Results indicated that the tensor analysis reinforced and supplemented the more conventional descriptions of facial growth. Females grew a smaller amount over the period examined than their male peers and development was in a relatively more vertical direction. These differences in growth between the sexes were highly statistically significant.