title: Age Estimation Based on a Radiographic Study of the Growing Foot.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We sought to determine a predictive model of data, differentiated by sex, from a radiographic study of the skeleton of the foot as an alternative to the classic study of the hand.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 2,476 digital radiographs from 816 participants aged 0 to 21 years. The radiographs were from the Radiology Diagnostic Services of the Public Health System of Extremadura (Spain) from 2007 to 2011. The method used for their analysis consisted of assigning a numerical code to each ossification center of each growing bone of the foot and subsequently subjecting the data to a multivariate, decision tree, statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The decision tree study identified the bones that have a common age-dependent pattern of growth (as determined by a comparison of means test with P < .01) among individuals of the same sex. The quality of the decision tree predictions was evaluated in terms of the r2coefficient. These values were r2= 0.897 for females and r2= 0.890 for males, thus establishing the predictive goodness of the model of bone data to provide a specific estimate of the individual's age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The foot is a good predictor of an individual's age from birth to complete bone maturity.
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gómez-Martín
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Escamilla-Martínez
authors.forename: Lourdes María
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Fernández-Seguín
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santiago-Sáez
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Sánchez
authors.forename: Juan Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Díaz-Mancha
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000365:Age Determination by Skeleton / Q000379:methods*; D000367:Age Factors; D001846:Bone Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003663:Decision Trees; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot / Q000254:growth & development*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography / Q000379:methods*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013030:Spain; D055815:Young Adult