Facial Asymmetry in Right- and Left-Handed Men and Women

Abstract

A posteroanterior cephalometric radiographic study was performed on the right- and left-handed men and women with normal occlusion. A posteroanterior cephalometric radiography was conducted in these subjects. Method of triangulation was used to measure various face areas. The surface areas of these triangles were compared with their equivalents on the contralateral side. Sex and its interactions with handedness and side were significant factors influencing facial areas. Areas on the left were found to be significantly larger than those on the right in right-handers. Left-handers were inconsistent in facial asymmetry, but they tended to have larger facial areas on the right than the left. Sex was especially significant for left-handers. It was suggested that an asymmetric development in some brain regions may be responsible for the development of asymmetric facial regions.