A comparison of interalar width and intercanine distance in Malay males and females

The interalar width of the nose and the intercanine distance were measured in 266 Malay subjects (111 males and 155 females) randomly selected from the students of the School of Medical Sciences. University Sains Malaysia in Kota Bharu, Malaysia. The mean interalar width of the nose in male subjects was 39.8 +/- 2.3 mm (range 34-45 mm) and in female subjects 36.2 mm +/- 2.2 mm (range 30-41 mm). There is a statistically significant difference (t = 12.9: p < 0.05) in the nasal width between male and female Malay subjects. This agrees with the findings of other similar studies that males have wider noses than females. The mean maxillary intercanine distance in male subjects was 36.7 = 2.6 mm (range 30-42 mm) and in female subjects 36.2 = 2.3 mm (range 30-42 mm). The anterior maxillary arch is significantly wider in Malay subjects compared to Chinese from Singapore (Keng 1986) as p < 0.05 and to Caucasians (Sawiris 1977) as p < 0.05. There is a significant correlation (r = 0.312; p < 0.05) between the nasal width and the intercanine distance in female subjects but not in male subjects.