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Semin Musculoskelet Radiol 2020; 24(05): 510-522
DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1701495
Review Article

Dental and Skeletal Imaging in Forensic Age Estimation: Disparities in Current Approaches and the Continuing Search for Optimization

Jannick De Tobel 
1   Department of Diagnostic Sciences – Radiology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
2   Department of Imaging and Pathology – Forensic Odontology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
3   Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Leuven University Hospitals, Leuven, Belgium
4   Unit of Head and Neck and Maxillofacial Radiology, Division of Radiology, Diagnostic Department, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland
,
Christian Ottow 
5   Department of Clinical Radiology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
,
Thomas Widek 
6   Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Clinical Forensic Imaging, Graz, Austria
7   Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
8   BioTechMed-Graz, Graz, Austria
,
Isabella Klasinc
9   Diagnostic and Research Institute of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
,
Håkan Mörnstad 
10   Forodont HB, Båstad, Sweden
,
Patrick Werner Thevissen 
2   Department of Imaging and Pathology – Forensic Odontology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
,
Koenraad Luc Verstraete 
1   Department of Diagnostic Sciences – Radiology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
› Author Affiliations Funding Source Funding for this study was entirely provided by the Department of Diagnostic Sciences – Radiology at Ghent University.
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Abstract

Medical imaging for forensic age estimation in living adolescents and young adults continues to be controversial and a subject of discussion. Because age estimation based on medical imaging is well studied, it is the current gold standard. However, large disparities exist between the centers conducting age estimation, both between and within countries. This review provides an overview of the most common approaches applied in Europe, with case examples illustrating the differences in imaging modalities, in staging of development, and in statistical processing of the age data. Additionally, the review looks toward the future because several European research groups have intensified studies on age estimation, exploring four strategies for optimization: (1) increasing sample sizes of the reference populations, (2) combining single-site information into multifactorial information, (3) avoiding ionizing radiation, and (4) conducting a fully automated analysis.

Keywords

age determination by skeleton - age determination by teeth - adolescent - adult - magnetic resonance imaging

Notes

This review article was partly based on a chapter in the PhD thesis of the first author, defended on March 22, 2019.[30]




Publication History

Article published online:
09 October 2020

© 2020. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Thieme Medical Publishers
333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

 

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