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Test of the Revised Auricular Surface Aging Method on a Modern European Population

NCJ Number
246558
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 59 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2014 Pages: 188-194
Author(s)
Konstantinos Moraitis Ph.D.; Eleni Zorba B.Sc.; Constantine Eliopoulos Ph.D.; Sherry C. Fox Ph.D.
Date Published
January 2014
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The accurate age estimation of adults is an important step in the construction of the biological profile of skeletonized remains.
Abstract
The accurate age estimation of adults is an important step in the construction of the biological profile of skeletonized remains. The auricular surface of the ilium as it was developed in 1985 by Lovejoy et al., is one of the methods employed for age estimation. This study presents the results of a blind test of the revised auricular surface aging method developed by Buckberry and Chamberlain. A sample of 120 individuals from the Athens Collection was used to test this revised aging technique. Almost all features and composite score were positively correlated with known age-at-death. The calculation of bias demonstrated no obvious trend for either overestimation or underestimation of age when all individuals were pooled together. Inaccuracy showed that absolute errors of estimated ages against known ages are substantial. The data generated from this study suggest that the revised method can be reliable for age estimation on a modern European population. Abstract published by arrangement with Wiley.