The present communication describes an interesting example of an antemortem fracture of the mandibular condyle and associated biomechanical metamorphoses. Oral status, including pathology, is also considered. A disassociated mandible (MS 2015 50532_B1) from Madâ'in Sâlih Tomb IGN-116.1 dating to approximately the 1st Century AD. The mandible was subjected to morphoscopic, microscopic and x-ray examination relative to anthropological profiling (age and sex) and assessment of trauma and pathology. Morphological and radiological assessment suggests a likely young adult male status. An antemortem hypertrophic non-union fracture of the right mandibular condyle presents exuberant bone formation and significant morphological remodelling likely associated with biomechanical instability and insufficient immobilisation of the injury site. A periapical lesion of tooth #35 presents evidence of an associated odontogenic sinus tract; this individual otherwise presents excellent dental health. Teeth #38 and #48 are mesial angular and horizontally impacted, respectively. Sub-condylar fractures are infrequently analysed and/or described in the palaeopathological literature. Further, the present case shows an interesting morphological response to non-consolidation, including likely compensatory biomechanical adaptation. This work highlights the diagnostic potential of incomplete human skeletal remains.

Medicolegal authorities use forensic dental age assessment of children to establish a biologic profile to assist in human identification, answer questions related to immigration, and answer questions used to substantiate eligibility for social benefits. The goal of this study was to assess the performance reliability of the child dental age assessment data previously published for White and Black children in the United States. A total of 432 dental panoramic radiographs were obtained from 3 geographic locations in the United States: Memphis, Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, and Saint Louis, Missouri. Radiographs were staged, and the estimated age was calculated using the previously published data. Multiple age assessments were conducted to determine the effect of excluding certain teeth on estimated age. The results indicated estimated ages using the previously published reference data set were accurate and concordant with known chronologic age across the ancestral, sex, and geographic categories. The results also indicated that the known chronologic age fell within one standard deviation of the estimated age more than the statistical expectation for most categories. Excluding canines provided the most accurate estimation of known chronologic age.

Distinguishing human from non-human bone and from non-osseous material is a challenging task in forensic anthropology. This determination is important because “human” confirmation dictates medicolegal significance. The aim of this chapter is to provide an introduction to the methods available to the forensic anthropologist for distinguishing human from non-human bone. Some methods are based on gross physical examination, whilst others require destructive sampling and access to highly specialized equipment and associated expertize. There are complexities and limitations that determine whether a given method can be applied and these are accordingly considered.

ABSTRACT:This study evaluated traditional and expedited methods for assessing the age of fetal remains. Because of their rare occurrence, the discovery of fresh, decomposing, disfigured, or skeletal fetuses engenders heightened awareness by forensic pathologists primarily tasked with age estimation in relation to viability. With decomposed complete or isolated fetal remains, dentists focus on primary molar mineralization, whereas anthropologists perform long bone measurements along with discernment of other indicators of skeletal maturity to obtain an age estimation.The results of this study are 4-fold: (1) The "best" technique for harvesting fetal tooth buds and long bones is the dissection of the developing tooth buds with maceration for the long bones. (2) Metric analysis was applied to the tooth buds and long bones for age estimation, and the findings were correlated. (3) There is a statistically significant difference between known age and dental age and between dental age and long bone age. The difference between known age and long bone age is not statistically significant, but a type II error exists because of the small sample size. (4) A central incisor staging technique for fetuses younger than 26 weeks was developed as a supplement to the molar staging system of Kraus and Jordan (1965).

ABSTRACT The modern practice of forensic anthropology is focused on the quantification of skeletal variation based upon a qualitative prowess developed according to theory and method in the parent discipline of biological anthropology. Such morphological variances allow estimates of biological attributes, for example, age, sex, population affinity, stature, pathology of disease processes—among others, that collectively may resolve the identification of unknown forensic human remains. The latter is a basic human right under International Humanitarian Law (IHL), and International Human Rights Law (IHRL) afforded to descendants who go missing in armed conflicts and other violence‐base situations. The specific traditional methods applied by the forensic anthropologist are well established in the published literature and routinely supported by global research that guides graduate programs designed to train the next generation of practitioners. Important in that cornerstone literature and graduate training regimen are aspects of our practice that are increasingly cross‐disciplinary, especially those grounded in the molecular, chemical, and histological sciences. These upper‐tier endeavors supplement and many times, validate, the traditional approaches as dictated by case context. This review focuses on evolving cross‐disciplinary developments and novel research trends in the analysis of human remains that involve the specific expertise of the forensic anthropologist. This article is categorized under: Forensic Anthropology > Age Assessment Forensic Anthropology > Anthropology in Mass Disaster & War Crime Contexts

AbstractMedicolegal authorities use forensic dental age assessment of children to establish a biologic profile to assist in human identification, answer questions related to immigration, and answer questions used to substantiate eligibility for social benefits. The goal of this study was to assess the performance reliability of the child dental age assessment data previously published for White and Black children in the United States. A total of 432 dental panoramic radiographs were obtained from 3 geographic locations in the United States: Memphis, Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, and Saint Louis, Missouri. Radiographs were staged, and the estimated age was calculated using the previously published data. Multiple age assessments were conducted to determine the effect of excluding certain teeth on estimated age. The results indicated estimated ages using the previously published reference data set were accurate and concordant with known chronologic age across the ancestral, sex, and geographic categories. The results also indicated that the known chronologic age fell within one standard deviation of the estimated age more than the statistical expectation for most categories. Excluding canines provided the most accurate estimation of known chronologic age.

OBJECTIVES:Though applied in bioarchaeology, dental wear is an underexplored age indicator in the biological anthropology of contemporary populations, although research has been conducted on dental attrition in forensic contexts (Kim et al., , Journal of Forensic Sciences, 45, 303; Prince et al., , Journal of Forensic Sciences, 53, 588; Yun et al., , Journal of Forensic Sciences, 52, 678). The purpose of this study is to apply and adapt existing techniques for age estimation based on dental wear to a modern American population, with the aim of producing accurate age range estimates for individuals from an industrialized context.MATERIALS AND METHODS:Methodologies following Yun and Prince were applied to a random sample from the University of New Mexico (n = 583) and Universidade de Coimbra (n = 50) cast and skeletal collections. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between tooth wear scores and age.RESULTS:Application of both Yun et al. () and Prince et al. () methodologies resulted in inaccurate age estimates. Recalibrated sectioning points correctly classified individuals as over or under 50 years for 88% of the sample. Linear regression demonstrated 60% of age estimates fell within ±10 years of the actual age, and accuracy improved for individuals under 45 years, with 74% of predictions within ±10 years.DISCUSSION:This study demonstrates age estimation from dental wear is possible for modern populations, with comparable age intervals to other established methods. It provides a quantifiable method of seriation into "older" and "younger" adult categories, and provides more reliable age interval estimates than cranial sutures in instances where only the skull is available.

American Journal of Physical AnthropologyVolume 160, Issue 2 p. 359-360 Book Review Tooth Developmentin Human Evolutionand Bioarchaeology. Edited by Simon Hillson. New York: Cambridge University Press. 2013. 307 pp. ISBN 978-1-107-01133-5 $75.00. (Hardcover) Murray K. Marks, Murray K. Marks Department of General Dentistry, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TNSearch for more papers by this author Murray K. Marks, Murray K. Marks Department of General Dentistry, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TNSearch for more papers by this author First published: 29 March 2016 https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.22947Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume160, Issue2June 2016Pages 359-360 RelatedInformation

Requisite to routine casework involving unidentified skeletal remains is the formulation of an accurate biological profile, including sex estimation. Choice of method(s) is invariably related to preservation and by association, available bones. It is vital that the method applied affords statistical quantification of accuracy rates and predictive confidence so that evidentiary requirements for legal submission are satisfied. Achieving the latter necessitates the application of contemporary population-specific standards. This study examines skeletal pelvic dimorphism in contemporary Western Australian individuals to quantify the accuracy of using pelvic measurements to estimate sex and to formulate a series of morphometric standards. The sample comprises pelvic multi-slice computer tomography (MSCT) scans from 200 male and 200 female adults. Following 3D rendering, the 3D coordinates of 24 landmarks are acquired using OsiriX® (v.4.1.1) with 12 inter-landmark linear measurements and two angles acquired using MorphDb. Measurements are analysed using basic descriptive statistics and discriminant functions analyses employing jackknife validation of classification results. All except two linear measurements are dimorphic with sex differences explaining up to 65 % of sample variance. Transverse pelvic outlet and subpubic angle contribute most significantly to sex discrimination with accuracy rates between 100 % (complete pelvis-10 variables) and 81.2 % (ischial length). This study represents the initial forensic research into pelvic sexual dimorphism in a Western Australian population. Given these methods, we conclude that this highly dimorphic bone can be used to classify sex with a high degree of expected accuracy.

The statistical quantification of error and uncertainty is inherently intertwined with ascertaining the admissibility of forensic evidence in a court of law. In the forensic anthropological discipline, the robustness of any given standard should not only be evaluated according to its stated error but by the accuracy and precision of the raw data (measurements) from which they are derived. In the absence of Australian contemporary documented skeletal collections, medical scans (e.g. multislice computed tomography–MSCT) offer a source of contemporary population-specific data for the formulation of skeletal standards. As the acquisition of morphometric data from clinical MSCT scans is still relatively novel, the purpose of this study is to assess validity of the raw data that is being used to formulate Australian forensic standards. Six human crania were subjected to clinical MSCT at a slice thickness of 0.9 mm. Each cranium and its corresponding volume-rendered three-dimensional MSCT image were measured multiple times. Whether differences between MSCT and dry bone interlandmark measurements are negligible is statistically quantified; intra- and inter-observer measurement error is also assessed. We found that traditional bone measurements are more precise than their MSCT counterparts, although overall differences between the two data acquisition methods are negligible compared to sample variance. Cranial variation accounted on average for more than 20× the variance explained by MSCT vs. bone measurements. Similarly, although differences between operators were sometimes significant compared to intra-operator variance, they were negligible when compared to sample variance, which was on average 12× larger than that due to inter-operator differences.

We wish to call the readership’s attention to a rare suture of the occipital squama that was misidentified in the article by Miller et al, “Differentiating a Mendosal Suture from a Skull Fracture.”1Miller A.J. Kim U. Carrasco E. Rediscovering the physical exam: differentiating a mendosal suture from a skull fracture.J Pediatr. 2010; 157: 691Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (14) Google Scholar In that article, the authors discuss the diagnostic dilemma of correctly differentiating a persistent mendosal suture from a fracture related to child abuse. Their illustrative case is not an example of a persistent mendosal suture, however. Mendosal sutures form at approximately 14-20 weeks gestation when the interparietal and supraoccipital bones of the occipital squama fuse centrally, leaving a gap on either side.2Scheuer L. Black S. Developmental juvenile osteology. Academic Press, London2000Google Scholar Mendosal sutures do not completely traverse the occipital squama and are present at birth, and the majority close by age 2 years.3Nakahara K. Utsuki S Shimizu S Iida H Miyasaka Y Takagi H et al.Age dependence of fusion of primary occipital sutures: a radiographic study.Childs Nerv Syst. 2006; 22: 1457-1459Crossref PubMed Scopus (30) Google Scholar In some individuals they persist and close later or not at all.2Scheuer L. Black S. Developmental juvenile osteology. Academic Press, London2000Google Scholar, 3Nakahara K. Utsuki S Shimizu S Iida H Miyasaka Y Takagi H et al.Age dependence of fusion of primary occipital sutures: a radiographic study.Childs Nerv Syst. 2006; 22: 1457-1459Crossref PubMed Scopus (30) Google Scholar, 4Nayak S.R. Krishnamurthy A Madhan Kumar SJ Prabhu LV Jiji PF Pai MM et al.The mendosal suture of the occipital bone: occurrence in Indian population, embryology and clinical significance.Surg Radiol Anat. 2007; 29: 329-332Crossref PubMed Scopus (19) Google Scholar Because of the multiple ossification centers that develop in the interparietal bone, in some individuals a suture forms that crosses the occipital squama at the highest nuchal line, called the transverse occipital suture. The portion of the bone located between this suture and the lambdoidal suture is called an “Inca bone,” of which there are six types.5Hanihara T. Ishida H. Os incae: variation in frequency in major human population groups.J Anat. 2001; 198: 137-152Crossref PubMed Google Scholar It is clear from Miller et al’s Figure 3 that the suture in question is a transverse occipital suture inferior to an Inca bone. It completely crosses the occipital squama above the external occipital protuberance, horizontally following the highest nuchal line. In addition, if the suture in question were a mendosal suture, then it would not be expected to have closed on the sixth postnatal day, and thus would not have warranted the adjective “persistent.” We can only conclude that the authors were misled by the article that they referenced, in which the mendosal suture was incorrectly equated with the transverse occipital fissure.4Nayak S.R. Krishnamurthy A Madhan Kumar SJ Prabhu LV Jiji PF Pai MM et al.The mendosal suture of the occipital bone: occurrence in Indian population, embryology and clinical significance.Surg Radiol Anat. 2007; 29: 329-332Crossref PubMed Scopus (19) Google Scholar Differentiating a Mendosal Suture from a Skull FractureThe Journal of PediatricsVol. 157Issue 4PreviewA 6-day-old infant was brought to her pediatrician with a right clavicle fracture. This injury could have happened at birth; however, the history provided by her mother was concerning enough that a skeletal survey and additional tests were performed and child protective services was notified. The lateral skull film seemed to show an occipital skull fracture (Figure 1), and the results of computed tomography of the head showed a single defect in the bone window that seemed to correlate with the finding on plain film. Full-Text PDF

Edited by John R. Lukacs. 1998. Eugene: University of Oregon Anthropological Papers (Number 54). 447 pp. ISBN 0-87114-060-8. $39.95 (paper).