Maxillary suture obliteration: a visual method for estimating skeletal age

The purpose of this study was to develop a method of estimating the age of an individual based on obliteration of the four maxillary (palatal) sutures. A sample of 186 individuals of known age, race, and sex were examined. It was found that males of both races (black and white) exhibit more suture o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of forensic sciences Vol. 36; no. 3; p. 781
Main Authors Mann, R W, Jantz, R L, Bass, W M, Willey, P S
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.05.1991
Subjects
Adolescent
Adult
Age Determination by Skeleton
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Analysis of Variance
Child
Female
Humans
Male
Maxilla - anatomy & histology
Middle Aged
Palate - anatomy & histology
Sex Characteristics
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Summary:The purpose of this study was to develop a method of estimating the age of an individual based on obliteration of the four maxillary (palatal) sutures. A sample of 186 individuals of known age, race, and sex were examined. It was found that males of both races (black and white) exhibit more suture obliteration than females at the same age. During the early adult years, maxillary suture obliteration progresses at nearly the same rate in both sexes; however, the age of old individuals may be greatly overestimated using this method. Although this method cannot be used for exact estimates of individual age, it is valuable in establishing the age range, sorting commingled remains, and estimating skeletal age when only the maxilla is present.
ISSN:0022-1198
DOI:10.1520/JFS13088J