title: Age Estimation Based on Appearance of Gray Hair in Different Body Sites of Sri Lankan Autopsy Cases.
abstract: Owing to the scanty evidence on usefulness of information of appearance of gray hair for age estimation, this study was conducted to estimate age based on the appearance of gray hair on different body sites in a sample of autopsy cases in Sri Lanka. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Teaching Hospital-Kurunegala during 2011 to 2013. Based on the pattern of the presence of gray hair in different body sites, six stages of gray hair were computed. The analysis 1155 autopsy cases revealed strong, positive correlations between age and appearance of gray hair in head, mustache, beard, and pubic area among males and strong, positive correlations between age and the appearance of gray hair in head and pubic area among females (p < 0.01). Our findings demonstrate the value of information of appearance of gray hair for age estimation in the field of forensic science.
authors.affiliation: Teaching Hospital-Anuradhapura, Anuradhapura (50000), Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Harshana Mahendra Kumara
authors.initials: HMK
authors.lastname: Senanayake
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Saliyapura (50008), Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Nuwan Darshana
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Wickramasinghe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D044707:Forensic Sciences / Q000379:methods; D006197:Hair / Q000502:physiology*; D006200:Hair Color / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Sri Lanka; age estimation; autopsy; forensic pathology; forensic science; gray hair; middle age