title: Mandibular symphysis (medial suture) closure in modern Homo sapiens: preliminary evidence from archaeological populations.
abstract: Four archaeologically derived populations of human infants provide evidence for age at closure of the mandibular suture. These data suggest fusion by 7-8 months of age, with a range from 6 to 9 months. This provides a useful tool for age identification of the remains of young children recovered from archaeological and other contexts.
mesh_terms: D000365:Age Determination by Skeleton; D000366:Age Determination by Teeth; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007558:Italy; D008334:Mandible / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D010164:Paleopathology; D014421:Turkey