Skeletal Biology and Forensic Anatomy Research Program, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2013 Mar;150(3):386-99. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.22213. Epub 2013 Jan 3.
Despite the prominent use of the Suchey-Brooks (S-B) method of age estimation in forensic anthropological practice, it is subject to intrinsic limitations, with reports of differential interpopulation error rates between geographical locations. This study assessed the accuracy of the S-B method to a contemporary adult population in Queensland, Australia and provides robust age parameters calibrated for our population. Three-dimensional surface reconstructions were generated from computed tomography scans of the pubic symphysis of male and female Caucasian individuals aged 15-70 years (n = 195) in Amira and Rapidform. Error was analyzed on the basis of bias, inaccuracy and percentage correct classification for left and right symphyseal surfaces. Application of transition analysis and Chi-square statistics demonstrated 63.9 and 69.7% correct age classification associated with the left symphyseal surface of Australian males and females, respectively, using the S-B method. Using Bayesian statistics, probability density distributions for each S-B phase were calculated, providing refined age parameters for our population. Mean inaccuracies of 6.77 (±2.76) and 8.28 (±4.41) years were reported for the left surfaces of males and females, respectively; with positive biases for younger individuals (<55 years) and negative biases in older individuals. Significant sexual dimorphism in the application of the S-B method was observed; and asymmetry in phase classification of the pubic symphysis was a frequent phenomenon. These results recommend that the S-B method should be applied with caution in medico-legal death investigations of Queensland skeletal remains and warrant further investigation of reliable age estimation techniques.
尽管 Suchey-Brooks（S-B）方法在法医人类学实践中被广泛应用，但它存在内在的局限性，有报道称地理位置之间存在不同的人群误差率。本研究评估了 S-B 方法在澳大利亚昆士兰州当代成年人群中的准确性，并为我们的人群提供了经过校准的可靠年龄参数。通过对 15-70 岁的白种人男性和女性的耻骨联合的计算机断层扫描进行三维表面重建（n = 195），在 Amira 和 Rapidform 中生成。基于左右耻骨表面的偏差、不准确性和正确分类百分比，分析了误差。应用转换分析和卡方统计，分别证明 S-B 方法在澳大利亚男性和女性的左侧耻骨表面的正确年龄分类率为 63.9%和 69.7%。使用贝叶斯统计，为每个 S-B 阶段计算了概率密度分布，为我们的人群提供了更精细的年龄参数。报告了男性和女性左侧表面的平均不准确性分别为 6.77（±2.76）和 8.28（±4.41）年；对于年龄较小的个体（<55 岁）存在正偏差，对于年龄较大的个体存在负偏差。观察到 S-B 方法在应用中的明显性别差异；耻骨联合的相位分类不对称是一种常见现象。这些结果表明，在昆士兰州骨骼遗骸的法医死亡调查中，应谨慎应用 S-B 方法，并需要进一步研究可靠的年龄估计技术。
