Evaluating osteological ageing from digital data

Abstract

SummaryAge at death estimation of human skeletal remains is one of the key issues in constructing a biological profile both in forensic and archaeological contexts. The traditional adult osteological methods evaluate macroscopically the morphological changes that occur with increasing age of specific skeletal indicators, such as the cranial sutures, the pubic bone, the auricular surface of the ilium and the sternal end of the ribs. Technologies such as CT and laser scanning are becoming more widely used in anthropology, and several new methods have been developed. This review focuses on how the osteological age-related changes have been evaluated in digital data. Firstly, the 3D virtual copies of the bones have been used to mimic the appearance of the dry bones and the application of the traditional methods. Secondly, the information directly extrapolated from CT scan has been used to qualitatively or quantitatively assess the changes of the trabecular bones, the thickness of the cortical bones, and to perform morphometric analyses. Lastly, the most innovative approach has been the mathematical quantification of the changes of the pelvic joints, calculating the complexity of the surface. The importance of new updated reference datasets, created thanks to the use of CT scanning in forensic settings, is also discussed.

Virtual anthropology: a preliminary test of macroscopic observation versus 3D surface scans and computed tomography (CT) scans

“…In the future, the topic should generate further research, including comparing the results of qualified versus quantified methods when transposed from dry bone to 3D models. Furthermore, many studies appear to focus on either the skull [1,25,27] or the pelvis [4][5][6]. This is logical as these skeletal elements are those most used for age and sex determination purposes in adults.…”

“…In the past decade, many studies have started to investigate the potential of CT and 3D surface scans in forensic anthropology, by looking at how well traditional methods performed on virtual models or on how close to the original bone the models themselves are [4][5][6]. Overall, the results have been encouraging, suggesting that these 3D models are suitable for classical anthropological analyses.…”

The Sommersdorf mummies—An interdisciplinary investigation on human remains from a 17th-19th century aristocratic crypt in southern Germany

“…In most cases, the presence of genitalia was indicative but skeletal parameters such as supra-orbital ridges and the mastoid process on the skull as well as the greater sciatic notch and the sub-pubic angle on the pelvis were also taken into account. Age estimation in mummies was performed similarly to age estimation of skeletons, even though visibility of the traits is strongly influenced by the quality of the scan data [ 34 , 35 ]. For this reason, age was estimated on both directly visible (e.g., teeth through the open mouth, cranial sutures through soft tissue damage) and digitally evaluable criteria.…”

Testing Reliability of the Computational Age‐At‐Death Estimation Methods between Five Observers Using Three‐Dimensional Image Data of the Pubic Symphysis,

“…Out of this work has emerged a consensus on what properties make for good age estimation methods: they should use revised, more quantitative and objective skeletal trait evaluation systems and nontraditional traits distributed throughout the skeleton (7,(17)(18)(19)(20), more robust statistical frameworks that can take into account the target population's current mortality profiles (6,(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27), and expanded reference skeletal samples incorporating bio-geographically diverse populations (28). In response to these concerns and owing to the recent technological advancements in scientific computing and data capture techniques, there has emerged a body of innovative research that utilizes computerized, virtual age indicators and imaging data (e.g., CT/MRI scans) to expand the scope of the analysis of ageprogressive morphologies, enabling for the first time fully quantitative approaches to the analysis of skeletal data and the estimation of chronological age (29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38). In addition to increasing accuracy and precision in age estimation, these new approaches seek to improve the degree of repeatability and the level of standardization in both data collection and analysis, with an explicit interest in responding to the evidentiary needs of the medico-legal community in the context of forensic anthropological casework.…”