Ruengdit Sittiporn, Prasitwattanaseree Sukon, Mekjaidee Karnda, Sinthubua Apichat, Mahakkanukrauh Pasuk
Forensic Osteology Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School, Chiang Mai University, 50200, Thailand; Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, 50200, Thailand.
Forensic Osteology Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School, Chiang Mai University, 50200, Thailand; Excellence in Osteology Research and Training Center (ORTC), Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand; Department of Statistics, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, 50200, Thailand.
J Forensic Leg Med. 2018 Jan;53:79-86. doi: 10.1016/j.jflm.2017.11.009. Epub 2017 Nov 29.
Cranial suture closure, one of the most commonly used age estimation methods, for decades, however, is often viewed with caution and its reliability is still debated. Few methods of estimating age using the skeleton, especially cranial suture, have been tested on Thais. This study aims to test the traditional aging techniques using cranial suture closure on Thai individuals in order to identify the error rate of each method when applied to a Thai sample. Meindl and Lovejoy (1985), Acsádi and Nemeskéri (1970), and Mann (1991) methods were applied to 175 Thai dry crania. Bias and inaccuracy in the Meindl and Lovejoy, Acsádi and Nemeskéri, and Mann methods resulted in overestimation in young adults and underestimation in older individuals with an inaccuracy range of approximately 13-22 years. The Mann method approached 100% in predicting age in older males, but the method did not fare as well on Thai females. The results confirm inter-population variation does exist. Additionally, differences in age composition between populations used to develop the methods and Thais may lead to an increase in error. This study indicates that these three aging methods should be used in conjunction with other techniques. Further research which develops specific methods for Thais might give better results for age estimation.
颅骨缝闭合是几十年来最常用的年龄估计方法之一，然而，人们对此方法往往持谨慎态度，其可靠性仍存在争议。很少有利用骨骼，特别是颅骨缝来估计年龄的方法在泰国人身上进行过测试。本研究旨在对泰国个体使用颅骨缝闭合来测试传统的年龄判定技术，以便确定每种方法应用于泰国样本时的错误率。将梅因德尔和洛夫乔伊（1985年）、阿卡萨迪和内梅斯凯里（1970年）以及曼（1991年）的方法应用于175个泰国干燥颅骨。梅因德尔和洛夫乔伊、阿卡萨迪和内梅斯凯里以及曼的方法存在偏差和不准确之处，导致对年轻成年人的年龄高估，而对年长者的年龄低估，不准确范围约为13 - 22岁。曼的方法在预测老年男性年龄方面接近100%，但该方法在泰国女性身上的效果不佳。结果证实人群间差异确实存在。此外，用于开发这些方法的人群与泰国人在年龄构成上的差异可能会导致误差增加。本研究表明，这三种年龄判定方法应与其他技术结合使用。针对泰国人开发特定方法的进一步研究可能会在年龄估计方面取得更好的结果。
