Computed Tomographic Evaluation of Cranial Suture Obliteration for Age Estimation in an Indian Population

Abstract

BACKGROUND Age estimation is a critical aspect of human identification. Age is assessed using cranial suture obliteration, pelvic morphological changes, epiphyseal fusion of long bones, dental maturation, and other standard methods. METHODS The present study investigated three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) scans of 263 individuals (183 males and 80 females) to assess the extent of ectocranial suture closure. The assessment of obliteration was done using a three-stage scoring method. Spearman's correlation coefficient (p < 0.05) was calculated to assess the relationship between cranial suture closure and chronological age. Simple and multiple linear regression models were developed using the cranial suture obliteration scores to estimate age. RESULTS The standard errors of the estimate using multiple linear regression models developed for estimating age using obliteration scores of sagittal, coronal, and lambdoid sutures were 15.08 years in males, 13.27 years in females, and 14.74 years in the total study population. CONCLUSION This study concludes that in the absence of additional skeletal age markers, this method can be used alone or in conjunction with other well-established methods of age assessment.