Anatomic Variations of the Infraorbital Foramen in Caucasian Versus African American Skulls

Purpose: The infraorbital foramen (IOF) represents a highly conserved structure but demonstrates morphologic variability. The purpose of this study is to describe the IOF location, size, and supernumerary foramina in an African American population and compare it with a Caucasian population. Methods: Sixty African American and 60 Caucasian skulls from the Hamann-Todd collection of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History were studied. The primary outcome was the number of accessory IOF and measurements of the location, size, shape, and direction of each foramen. Pearson chi-square, t tests, Fisher exact test, and Wilcoxon rank sum tests were used to analyze the data. Results: The African American population had a smaller vertical IOF diameter (mean = 2.81 mm) compared with the Caucasian population (mean = 3.08 mm) on the right side (p