Age assessment of living individuals: the influence of socioeconomic status on skeletal and dental development in a German study cohort

Abstract

Forensic age assessment can be a powerful lever to ensure the rule of law. In age assessment procedures, the development of skeletal and dental features is compared with reference populations. The socioeconomic status (SES) of the person to be assessed is to be considered as a possible influencing factor on the assessment of age; however, the available studies on this influencing factor are scarce so far. Prospectively, the relationship between skeletal or dental development and SES was determined within a German study population of volunteers. For this purpose the development of the medial epiphysis of the clavicle, the distal epiphysis of the radius, the distal epiphysis of the femur, the proximal epiphysis of the tibia and the left lower third molar was examined in 294 females and 287 males aged between 12 and 24 years using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 3 T. Additionally, the SES of all persons was determined. For this, the education level of the parents of the persons examined was queried. The influence of the SES on the individual characteristics as well as on the totality of the examined skeletal characteristics was determined by linear regression. No evidence for a relationship could be found for all characteristics and combinations. It was concluded that the life circumstances of the study participants apparently did not differ sufficiently to demonstrate an influence of the SES on skeletal age.