Facial Soft Tissue Thickness (fstt): A Review Of Population-specific Factors And Implications In Forensic Anthropology

Facial Soft Tissue Thickness (FSTT) plays a crucial role in forensic anthropology, especially for reconstructing the features of a face. Over time, various studies focused on the influence of age, sex and ancestry on these tissue measurements. By reviewing the literature, we present some insights into the application of different approaches for evaluation of FSTT ranging from imaging modalities to the traditional measurement and highlight the main results obtained for several populations. The present barriers to adoption of uniform FSTT guidelines and increasing use of FSTT in forensic examination are also being explored. With the proper understanding of the FSTT, which varies in different populations, improvement of the facial reconstructive techniques can be achieved, and as a result, the reliability of forensic identification could be enhanced.