Shape and height of the nose as seen at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, Nigeria.

Our aims were to determine the shape and height of the nose, compare values in both sexes and with previous studies.Eight hundred and ninety three volunteers (428 males and 465 females) within the age range of 18 to 35 years were recruited for the study. Data were obtained from them by observation methods and were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS Version 17.0) computer soft ware. Values were expressed as mean standard deviation (SD) and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Male to female ratio was 1:1.1, mean age for male was 26.48± 4.86 and female was 26.31±4.85. Mean BMI was 22.37± 1.73kgm2 for males and 22.21±1.71 for females. Yoruba (82.3%) constitute the majority and the rest in the minority. Nasal dorsum was high in 23.4% of the males and 24.4% of the females. The dorsum was low in 52.2% and high in 47.8%.in the target population. Concavity was noticed in 91% of the studied population, while convexity (3.8%), straight (3.1%) and dorsal hump (<1%) were also noticed in lesser proportions. Conclusion:Concave with low nasal dorsum was most common in the studied population, both sexes and in all the ethnic groups. These findings are useful in reconstructive surgeries, forensic medicine and victim identification. Key words: Shape, height, nose, UITH, Ilorin, Nigeria