Bonwill's triangle and asymmetry in East African human mandibles.

Abstract Bonwill's triangle and the asymmetry of 335 human mandibles of the East African Bantu-speaking population were examined in order to ascertain whether Bonwill's postulate of an equilateral triangle is valid for the East African population and to see the incidence of asymmetry because these characters have some importance in clinical prosthetics, and are also of a special anthropological interest too. The Bonwill's triangle in East African mandibles is never equilateral and its overall dimensions were in all cases greater than those recorded for the European population. The sexual dimorphism was very pronounced. The mandibles exhibited a high percentage of asymmetry and 98 per cent were asymmetrical. The results obtained show the specific racial characteristics of the East African Bantu-speaking population.