title: Skull sutures: Changing morphology during preadolescent growth and its implications in forensic identification.
abstract: Forensic identification of juvenile skulls is a problem area. Although the skull suture patterns have been suggested for use in individualizing human remains by comparing antemortem and postmortem radiographs, the age at which such patterns stabilize and can be useful for identification had been indicated as 7 years. Subsequent researchers have also concurred that antemortem and postmortem radiographs taken after the 7th year would be sufficient to meet the Daubert standard criteria for identifying skulls using radiographs. The suggestions regarding the lower age limit for stabilization of suture patterns have not been verified so far. In this research, the patterns of the sutures in the ectocranial and endocranial surfaces of the lambdoid region in 22 juvenile skulls (age range 1-10 years) and 100 adult skulls (age range 17-70 years) were studied for the relative incidence of different types of suture patterns. The radiographic recordings of the suture patterns in the juvenile skulls were also compared with the patterns seen in the ectocranial and endocranial surfaces. The findings of this study support the proposition that the suture patterns are plastic during the juvenile stage and that they undergo significant remodeling during growth into adulthood. Indicating the possibility of growth related alterations in the sutural morphology, the onset of adulthood is suggested as the age for stabilization of suture patterns in the context of prescribing standards for such criteria as those relating to Daubert.
authors.affiliation: Forensic Science Program, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, 16150 Kelantan, Malaysia. ptjaya@kb.usm.my
authors.forename: Paul T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Jayaprakash
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Srinivasan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000365:Age Determination by Skeleton / Q000379:methods*; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003393:Cranial Sutures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000254:growth & development*; D005260:Female; D018732:Forensic Anthropology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult