Age estimation of adolescent and young adult male and female skeletons II, epiphyseal union at the upper limb and scapular girdle in a modern Portuguese skeletal sample

Abstract

This study completes previously reported ages for timing of epiphyseal union in the postcranial skeleton in a recent sample, with data from the scapula, clavicle, humerus, radius, and ulna. A sample of 121 individuals between the ages of 9 and 29 (females = 65, males = 56) was derived from the Lisbon documented skeletal collection. Epiphyseal union was scored at 16 anatomical locations, using a three-stage scheme: 1) no union; 2) partial union; and 3) completed union, all traces of fusion having disappeared. In the upper limb, the epiphyses of the elbow are the first to fuse at around 11 to 15 years of age, followed by those of the shoulder and wrist. In the scapular girdle, the coracoid area is the first to fuse, followed by the glenoid surface and remaining epiphyses, with the medial clavicle fusing last, by the age of 25-27. There is a sex difference in maturation, with females showing an advance relative to males of about 2 years in the upper limb. Sex differences in maturation are less noticeable in the scapular girdle, but data suggest that females are also ahead of males. Results suggest overall similar age ranges for stages of union as previous dry bone observations, but some studies show significant divergences which seem to derive from methodological issues. Although some radiographic reference standards provide comparable age ranges, they should probably be avoided when aging skeletal remains.

Mortality risk factors show similar trends in modern and historic populations exposed to plague

“…Sex was determined exclusively for the adult population by using standard morphometrical methods [14][15][16]. The sub-adult age at death was established based on the evaluation of the degree of dental mineralization and eruption [17], the measurement of the diaphyseal length of the long bones [18,10], and the evaluation of the degree of epiphyseal fusion of the long bones and hip bone [20][21][22]. When the skeletal state of preservation of each sub-adult was complete enough, the three methods were applied simultaneously.…”

Ontogeny of the spheno‐occipital synchondrosis in a modern Queensland, Australian population using computed tomography

“…Using this extended analysis, we are able to determine the likely age of individuals who would currently be assigned to any given stage, as opposed to the transition analysis, which has a primary goal of estimating the average age at which individuals transition from one stage to the next. A Bayesian statistical approach was utilized to compute robust parameters for age estimation; the theoretical basis of the application of Bayes Theorem in the context of age estimation is discussed extensively in the literature (Cardoso, 2008;Konigsberg et al, 2008;Kimmerle et al, 2008;Langley-Shirley and Jantz, 2010;Cardoso et al, 2013;Lottering et al, 2013). Posterior density tables of age for a given stage of fusion were constructed to provide a comprehensive insight into the age variation in maturation of the synchondrosis that can be used for age estimation of adolescents.…”

The incidence of asymmetrical left/right skeletal and dental development in an Australian population and the effect of this on forensic age estimations

“…In recent years, increased attention has been devoted to the development of the medial clavicular epiphysis and the third molar tooth, specifically to improve forensic age estimations in the hitherto problematic age cohort of the late teenage years and early adulthood (15-25 years) [9,11,13,16]. This age group is difficult to assess as developing skeletal and dental sites beyond the age of 14-15 years are few.…”

“…Much productive research has been conducted in this field. Accepted standards have been developed [1][2][3][4][5][6], and these standards are continually being refined and improved to make them applicable to a wider range of populations and situations [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15].…”