Scoring system for estimating age in the foot skeleton

Abstract

This study assesses chronological age of immature individuals from the degree of ossification evident in the foot skeleton. We considered all tarsal and ray bones in various combinations to determine the most sensitive indicators of chronological age. Skeletal maturity was rated according to a subjective but simple scoring system applied to radiographs of normal feet of children of known chronological age. Scales for assessing the primary center of ossification, secondary center of ossification, and state of fusion are defined. In general, as expected, females show earlier onset of skeletal maturity than males; in particular, females in our sample are skeletally mature in most elements beginning 48 months prior to the earliest incidence of skeletal maturity in males for the same bones. Females in our sample show a marked tendency toward skeletal maturity of all elements by 150 months of age, while males do not show the same tendency until approximately 200 months of age. In general within each sex, consecutive states of fusion show broad overlap in range of chronological age within each bone. Combining scores from several different bones enables a reasonable estimate of potential age in a test application of the model.

Variation of the degree of sacral vertebral body fusion in adulthood in two European modern skeletal collections

“…Therefore the timing of SVF exhibits sex differences and population differences that could be due to socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental factors. Sex and population differences have also been reported in other studies (Greulich and Pyle, 1950;Pyle and Hoerr, 1955;Tanner, 1962;Stewart, 1979;Brodeur et al, 1981;Ubelaker, 1989;Terazawa et al, 1994;Banerjee and Agarwal, 1998;Whitaker et al, 2002;Crowder and Austin, 2005;Schaefer and Black, 2005).…”

“…These differences cannot be attributed to sampling problems since the age distribution is not significantly different between males and females. Earlier osseous development in females than in males is widely documented for various skeletal regions (Greulich and Pyle, 1950;Pyle and Hoerr, 1955;Tanner, 1962;Brodeur et al, 1981;Whitaker et al, 2002;Crowder and Austin, 2005;etc.). Regarding population variations, significant differences between the collections occur mainly in males: the young males of Sassari show less advanced stages of fusion than those of Coimbra.…”

The epiphyseal scar: changing perceptions in relation to skeletal age estimation

“…Despite the use of the obliteration of the epiphyseal scar as the final maturity criterion in methods of skeletal age estimation, there is a paucity of published evidence which supports the relationship between this feature and chronological age (Baumann et al, 2009, Davies et al, 2014, Faisant et al, 2014, Schmidt et al, 2008a, Whitaker et al, 2002. Within the regions considered in this study, over 75% of individuals in all anatomical regions were found to retain some remnant of the epiphyseal scar.…”

“…Consequently, it has been assumed that the epiphyseal scar will, over time, become obliterated as a result of this process, and therefore that the presence of an epiphyseal scar is indicative of a younger individual (Workshop of European Anthropologists, 1980). The obliteration of the epiphyseal scar is often cited as the final maturity indicator in methods of age estimation that utilise staging criteria (Baumann et al, 2009, Schmidt et al, 2008a, Whitaker et al, 2002. Despite the use of this maturity criterion in multiple methods of age estimation from various regions of the skeleton, there is a lack of tangible evidence of a significant correlation between the obliteration of the epiphyseal scar and chronological age (Baumann et al, 2009, Kellinghaus et al, 2010, Schmidt et al, 2008a.…”

The Olduvai Hominid 8 foot: Adult or subadult?

“…Similarly, Baker et al (2005) also suggest that fusion of the first metatarsal base is slightly delayed relative to fusion of the metatarsal heads. Radiographic data from Whitaker et al (2002) indicate that metatarsal heads become fully fused slightly before the base of the first metatarsal fuses to the diaphysis. The results of this study suggest that African apes and humans share a typical pattern of metatarsal fusion pattern, wherein fusion of the base of the first metatarsal closely matches fusion of the lateral metatarsal heads.…”