NCJ Number
221733
Journal
Forensic Science International Volume: 174 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2008 Pages: 59-62
Date Published
January 2008
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This investigation presents a method for assessing chronological age in children based on the relationship between age and hand-wrist mineralization together with the measurement of the open apices in teeth
Abstract
Results of this study indicate that estimating age using teeth and hand-wrist are a good correlation between chronological age and mineralization. The need to estimate the age of living individuals is becoming increasingly more important in forensic science. Young immigrants, who arrive without documentation, are an increasing problem for European countries. The need to evaluate age to consider legal responsibility, or for application of different laws for young people, requires reliable methods. The judicial system often demands that a child of unknown age be assigned an age to ensure that appropriate procedures are observed in the processing of a legal case. In European countries, the age threshold with regards to criminal responsibility is from a minimum of 7 years of age in Switzerland and Ireland, to 21 years of age in Germany. Anthropometric data, signs of sexual maturation, and X-rays of the left hand and teeth are being used. The study of the morphological parameters of teeth and wrist/hand X-rays of children is more reliable than most other methods for age estimation and is most commonly used to determine age in living humans. The pilot study used a sample of 150 Italian children and adolescents aged between 5 and 15 years focused on analyzing the possible applications of the proportion of carpal area (Ca) and teeth mineralization as a criterion of age estimation. Tables, figure, references