Criteria for age estimation in living individuals

Abstract

This paper presents updated recommendations of the Study Group on Forensic Age Diagnostics for age estimations in living individuals in criminal proceedings. In order to increase the diagnostic accuracy and to improve the identification of age-relevant developmental disorders, a physical examination, an X-ray examination of the left hand, as well as a dental examination including the determination of the dental status and an X-ray of the dentition should be performed in each case. If the skeletal development of the hand is completed, an additional radiological examination of the clavicles should be carried out. Minimum requirements for reference studies are defined and recommendable studies are listed. Instructions for the examination and the preparation of expert reports are presented. The committee of the study group organizes annual proficiency tests for quality assurance.

Dental age diagnostics by means of radiographical evaluation of the growth stages of lower wisdom teeth

“…For the remaining age groups of 17 to 22, the mean value for stage H did not change in comparison to all age groups (15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22). The mean value for stage D however increased considerably by almost 2 years from 16.4 to 18.2 (see Table 3, stage D).…”

“…Based on the recommendations of the Study Group on Forensic Age Diagnostics [18,19], the forensic age estimation of living people included a physical examination, an X-ray of the left hand, and a dental examination. An important criterion in the dental examination is wisdom tooth root growth [1,4,8,13,15].…”

Accuracy of Dental Age in Nonadults: A Comparison of Two Methods for Age Estimation Using Radiographs of Developing Teeth

“…Recent years have brought a worldwide increase in cross-border migration due to a globalized economy, mass disasters ongoing armed conflicts (De Luca et al 2011, Olze et al 2006. As a result, the need to establish the age of an individual has become more important in legal proceedings, such as cases involving unaccompanied or asylum-seeking minors in the absence of proper documents, which has lead to a growing demand for forensic medicine to assess the age of adolescents and young adults (Eikvil et al 2012, Kvaal et al 1995, Cunha et al 2009, De Luca et al 2012, Schmeling et al 2008. Furthermore, due to the nature of such cases, researchers need to explore more noninvasive methods for age estimation that would be applicable to cases involving the living.…”

Dental age estimation in a Brazilian adult population using Cameriere’s method

“…1 Age estimates are important for civil and criminal cases, in the absence of valid identification documents, for criminals who refuse to provide their true age, and for issues related to immigration and asylum requests to foreign countries. 2,3,4,5 Therefore, the need for accurate age estimation techniques and the data required to perform these estimates in living individuals has increased. 6,7 Determining the age of a living person often requires a multidisciplinary approach that involves anthropology, forensic medicine, forensic dentistry, and radiology.…”