NCJ Number
217211
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 52 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2007 Pages: 21-23
Date Published
January 2007
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether the Suchey-Brooks (S&B) methods could be successfully applied in determining age from skeletons of individuals who had lived in the Balkans.
Abstract
Statistical analysis found a positive correlation between the age of an examined individual at death and age phases obtained by the S&B method, although the mean values of the sixth age category differed significantly compared with the original model. The most reliable indicators of age in both sexes were the relief of the symphyseal surface, lipping, symphyseal rim, and dorsal margin. The discriminating power of these indicators was the least reliable in distinguishing S&B phases two and three. Based on the findings, recommendations are offered for aging Serbian populations. The S&B revision of the pubic symphyseal aging method, in which each phase of aging is divided into stages, has been the aging method of choice for most forensic anthropologists in the past three decades. It has been a widely used method in recent forensic practice in the region of the former Yugoslavia. This testing of the S&B method involved 85 pairs of pubic bones collected from autopsy cases from the Institute for Forensic Medicine at the University of Belgrade during 1999-2002. The bones were of 33 females and 52 males whose ages at death ranged from 17 to 91 years. Age at death was not known to the observer before analysis, but knowledge of sex was necessary for the application of the S&B age scheme. A detailed description of materials and methods is provided. 2 tables, 1 figure, and 20 references