Estimation of age at death using cortical histomorphometry of the sternal end of the fourth rib.

Given the often fragmentary nature of unidentified human remains, and the importance of using multiple criteria to estimate age at death, it is essential to have a variety of methods that use different anatomical sampling sites. In this study, osteon population densities (OPDs) were determined from transverse sections removed from an area immediately adjacent to the sternal ends of 60 autopsy rib samples. Regression analysis was performed using age at death as the dependent variable and OPD as the independent variable. The results of a "training set/test set" strategy to evaluate the performance of the histological age predicting model indicates that it provides reasonably reliable and accurate age estimates. A multiple regression model using both OPD and the mean age for a rib's morphological age according to the phase method of Işcan et al. [7,8] is also presented. This later age predicting model is recommended when both methods are applicable.