Study background: Anthropometric measurements, especially craniofacial measurements, are essential for determining various head and face shapes. These anthropometric studies are conducted on age, sex, and racial/ ethnic groups in specific geographical zones. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the cephalic indices, to classify the type of cranium, and to determine the relationship between the horizontal cephalic index and cranial parameters among dental students. Method: This is a descriptive and cross-sectional study on 143 dental students (73 males and 70 females) with an age range of 18–23 year-old. Head length, head breadth measured by using a standard spreading caliper. Then cephalic indices were calculated for the classification of cranial type. All the collected data were summarized using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) 21.0 versions, and their significance was tested by student t test. Results: The results of this study showed that the mean of the horizontal, cephalic index in male and female were 17.55 ± 0.92 and 16.54 ± 1.53 cm, respectively. The cephalic index varied from the range of 69.8 to 94.7 in male and 68.5% to 94.4% in the female. The dominant type of head shape in our study was Hyperbrachycephalic (36.8%, followed by brachycephalic (24.6%) in male and brachycephalic (16.7%) followed by mesocephalic (12.5%) respectively. Conclusion: The data of the present study can be beneficial in craniofacial reconstruction, clinical diagnosis, and Forensic applications.

Keywords: Anthropometry; Head length; Head breadth; Cephalic indices.