Validation methods of Fazekas and Kósa and Molleson and Cox for age estimation of the ilium in Western Mediterranean non-adult population: proposal of new regression formulas

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to test the applicability of the age estimation methods of Fazekas and Kósa [1] and Molleson and Cox [2] in Western Mediterranean non-adults and to develop accurate and rapidly applied formulas for their age estimation, using a sample of 149 non-adults of known sex and age from the cemetery of San José in Granada (Spain). Measurements have been taken of the maximum length and width of each ilium for application of the formulas of Fazekas and Kósa [1] and Molleson and Cox [2]. There has been no significant intra- or inter-examiner variation in measurements. The documented age of the individuals has been underestimated with the Fazekas and Kósa method and overestimated with Molleson and Cox. Based on these findings, new formulas are proposed for the age estimation of non-adults in Western Mediterranean populations.