Estimating Age - Adults (Lab 10)
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Estimating Age - Adults (Lab 10)
This content is available for you to study, but isn't worth marks
About this material
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Unlimited attempts per question Due: No due date
Exported for Carolyn Ginger on Wed, 07 Nov 2018 06:50:47 GMT
Pubic symphysis with residual billowing on the face. [1]
11/6/2018 Top Hat
https://app.tophat.com/e/037705/assigned#bf0a4069-44c2-43fb-8daf-bda73edb1e15 2/32
By the end of this lab, the student will be able to:
Describe the biological basis for adult age estimation using skeletal indicators.
Describe the biological and anatomical basis for the changes in the pubic
symphysis.
Evaluate cranial suture closure as an indicator of age and apply a standard
approach for scoring cranial suture closure and generating an age estimate.
Apply charts of epiphyseal union timing to estimate age at death.
Age Estimation from Skeletal Traits
Joint Deterioration
During the process of aging, joint surfaces (where two bones meet or articulate) change in their
morphology. Through joint deterioration, the surfaces change from being smooth and organized
in appearance to more disorganized in appearance, porous and with bone growth (called
osteophytes) around the edges of the joints.
Several joints in the skeleton provide better estimators of age because their breakdown follows
established processes. These include the pubic symphysis, the auricular surface, and the sternal
ends of the ribs (the 4th rib in particular). Here we will focus on the pubic symphysis because it
is a classic method and the easiest to understand and apply.
Because developmental traits, like the ones used to age subadults, proceed more regularly and
consistently than degenerative traits, age estimates for subadults tend to be more accurate and
within a smaller range of error than age estimates for adults and the elderly. That is, whereas
subadult age estimates may be +/- months, adult age estimates will be +/- years, and in many
cases the age range can be larger than a decade.
Pubic Symphysis Aging
11/6/2018 Top Hat
https://app.tophat.com/e/037705/assigned#bf0a4069-44c2-43fb-8daf-bda73edb1e15 3/32
The pubic symphysis is the joint that connects the os coxae on the anterior portion of the pelvic
girdle. Although mostly immobile, the joint does experience some movement, which results in
cumulative changes in the joint surface as you age. The details of this process are slightly
beyond this level of course, but some broad strokes are possible. Imagine separating the pelvis
at the pubic symphysis as shown below. All subsequent images are as if you were looking
straight at the face of the pubic symphysis
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