Contribution of Anatomy in Forensic Age Evaluation: A Systematic Review (original) (raw)
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Age estimation: The state of the art in relation to the specific demands of forensic practise
International Journal of Legal Medicine, 2000
Age estimation in cadavers, human remains and living individuals may clarify issues with significant legal and social ramifications for individuals as well as for the community. In such cases methods for estimating age should fulfil the following specific demands: (1) they must have been presented to the scientific community, as a rule by publication in peer-reviewed journals, (2) clear information concerning accuracy of age estimation by the method should be available, (3) the methods need to be sufficiently accurate and (4) in cases of age estimation in living individuals principles of medical ethics and legal regulations have to be considered. We have identified and summarized the methods that essentially fulfil these specific demands. In childhood and adolescence morphological methods based on the radiological examination of dental and skeletal development are to be recommended. In adulthood, the accuracy of most morphological methods is much reduced. Here a biochemical method based on aspartic acid racemization in dentine provides the most accurate estimates of age, followed by special morphological dental and skeletal methods. The choice of method has to take account of the individual circumstances of each case. Most methods require either the consultation of specialised and trained scientists or an adequate calibration by the "user". Very few attempts have been made to find common standardisation, calibration and evaluation procedures or to develop means of quality assurance for methods of age estimation. Efforts in these directions are necessary to guarantee quality standards and adequate answers to the important legal and social issue of age estimation in forensic medicine.
Estimation of age represents a central focus of forensic anthropological analysis of human skeletal remains and of the living. Advances registered in recent research include the topics of taphonomic impact, new anatomical areas of interest, histology, population variation, the dental pulp chamber, technology, mathematical approaches, biochemical analysis and techniques specifically targeting the living. This article reviews the historical development of age estimation methods and considers likely future directions.
2018
Mathews Journal of Forensic Research Age Assessment in Forensic Cases: Anthropological, Odontological and Biochemical Methods for Age Estimation in the Dead Joe Adserias-Garriga*1, Sara C. Zapico2 1Fundació Universitat de Girona: Innovació i Formació, Universitat de Girona, Spain. 2Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and International Forensic Research Institute. Florida International University. Corresponding Author: Joe Adserias-Garriga, Fundació Universitat de Girona: Innovació i Formació, Universitat de Girona, Spain, Tel: (+34) 649 664 437; Email: mjadserias@hotmail.com
Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology, 2005
In recent years, many countries have experienced a sharp increase in the demand for forensic age estimates of live persons. From a legal perspective, such age estimates are carried out to determine whether a suspect without valid identity documents has reached the age of criminal responsibility and whether general criminal law in force for adults applies. In many countries, the age thresholds of relevance to criminal prosecution lie between 14 and 21 years. In line with recommendations issued by the Study Group on Forensic Age Diagnostics for determining the age of live subjects in criminal proceedings, a forensic age estimate should combine the results of a physical examination, an x-ray of the hand, and a dental examination that records dentition status and evaluates an orthopantomogram. In addition, a radiological or computed tomographic examination of the clavicles is recommended to establish whether a person has attained 21 years of age. This article addresses the influence of ethnicity on the examined developmental systems. In so doing, the authors conclude that forensic age estimates should pay due heed to the proband's socioeconomic status and ethnic origin.
Research and reports in forensic medical science, 2015
The reconciliation of skeletal and chronological age is of paramount concern in the context of criminal proceedings involving living individuals, who frequently lack any associated identification documentation, and are referred to the criminal justice system. It is important to appreciate that skeletal and chronological ages are not the same measurement of time-since-birth, and depending on the analytical approaches applied, there will be an inherent source of variation between estimated (biological: skeletal, physical, and psychological) and actual (legal) age. Given the evidentiary value attached to the estimation of age based on the subjective assessment of biological and psychological developmental attributes, it is timely to consider current approaches toward achieving the latter. The aim of this review is to first explore a selection of circumstances that result in requests for forensic age assessment in living individuals. Issues pertaining to competency to perform an assessment, sources of error that may be introduced, and how to accordingly quantify the level of uncertainty in the final estimation are then considered. This logically leads into discussions of the necessity for population-specific statistical biological data. Current methods based on psychological development, dental status, and skeletal maturation are then reviewed. The review concludes by exploring future research and practical directions in the context of medico-legal practice and social consequences.
Developments in forensic anthropology: Age-at-death estimation
Age estimation is an important step in constructing a biological profile from human skeletal remains. The goal of the forensic anthropologist is to assist medicolegal officials with identification by presenting a probable age range of the deceased. In adults, this is typically done by examining various skeletal traits which have been shown to degenerate with age in a predictable manner. Using trait characteristics, forensic anthropologists strive to provide as narrow an estimated age range as possible, but, as you will see, human variation in degenerative traits and variation in the rate of the aging process necessitates somewhat broader age-range estimates.
Estimation and evidence in forensic anthropology: age-at-death
A great deal has previously been written about the use of skeletal morphological changes in estimating ages-at-death. This article looks in particular at the pubic symphysis, as it was historically one of the first regions to be described in the literature on age estimation. Despite the lengthy history, the value of the pubic symphysis in estimating ages and in providing evidence for putative identifications remains unclear. This lack of clarity primarily stems from the fact that rather ad hoc statistical methods have been applied in previous studies. This article presents a statistical analysis of a large data set (n = 1766) of pubic symphyseal scores from multiple contexts, including anatomical collections, war dead, and victims of genocide. The emphasis is in finding statistical methods that will have the correct ‘‘coverage.’’ ‘‘Coverage’’ means that if a method has a stated coverage of 50%, then approximately 50% of the individuals in a particular pubic symphyseal stage should have ages that are between the stated age limits, and that approximately 25% should be below the bottom age limit and 25% above the top age limit. In a number of applications it is shown that if an appropriate prior age-at-death distribution is used, then ‘‘transition analysis’’ will provide accurate ‘‘coverages,’’ while percentile methods, range methods, and means (€standard deviations) will not. Even in cases where there are significant differences in the mean ages-to-transition between populations, the effects on the stated age limits for particular ‘‘coverages’’ are minimal. As a consequence, more emphasis needs to be placed on collecting data on age changes in large samples, rather than focusing on the possibility of inter-population variation in rates of aging.