NCJ Number
213732
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 51 Issue: 2 Dated: March 2006 Pages: 213-229
Date Published
March 2006
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study examined changes related to age in the fused acetabulum (cup-shaped socket of the hipbone into which the head of the thighbone fits) and analyzed the potential for estimating adult age at death based on the observations.
Abstract
The study found that the seven variables measured can be useful in estimating the age at death of unknown specimens of any age with the same accuracy (89 percent in 10-year intervals or 67 percent in 5-year intervals), including individuals who are at the far end of the aging distribution. In addition, the acetabulum is a convenient skeletal feature to observe in ancient and forensic remains because it is one of the best-preserved parts of the skeleton. The seven variables measured were the acetabular groove, the thinning and bone construction of the acetabular rim, the porosity and bone destruction of the acetabular rim, apex activity, activity of the outer edge, activity of the acetabular fossa, and the porosities of the acetabular fossa. The material used in this study was the documented skeletal collection of Esqueletos Identificados of Coimbra housed in the Department of Anthropology of the University of Coimbra (Portugal), which consists of individuals buried between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. From this collection the researchers selected males for which the three elements of the os coxa were fused. Individuals who showed pathologies in either acetabulum were excluded from the study, but researchers did not exclude specimens with noninflammatory osteoarthritis or diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, because these conditions are related to age. A total of 242 male skeletons from 16 to 96 years old at death were selected. Only the left os coxa was used for the study. 6 tables, 39 figures, and 42 references