[History, present situation and perspectives of forensic age diagnostics of living persons].

Although age estimations of living persons have been carried out for a long time already, the importance of forensic age diagnostics has increased considerably since the beginning of the 1980s. The Study Group on Forensic Age Diagnostics of the German Society of Legal Medicine founded under the chairmanship of Prof. Dr. Gunther Geserick in March 2000 has published recommendations for age assessments in criminal proceedings, in pension matters as well as in civil and asylum proceedings. Based on regular meetings and proficiency tests, this study group makes an important contribution to quality assurance in age assessment. The introduction of radiation-free imaging procedures in age estimation practice is to be expected in the near future.