Age Estimation from closure of some cranial sutures (coronal, sagittal, and lambdoid) in a sample of Egyptian population using computed tomography: retrospective study

Abstract

Background: Accurate age estimation is essential in forensic anthropology, bioarcheology, andmedico legal investigations. Recent advancements in CT imaging have enabled detailedexamination of cranial sutures, offering valuable insights. Aim: This study aimed to correlatethe relationship between age and closure of cranial sutures and to estimate average age of closureof each suture (coronal, sagittal, and lambdoid) using CT imaging on a sample of Egyptianpopulation. Materials & methods: Total number of 100 CT cases, 20 years and beyond wereincluded in the study, and divided equally into five age groups with an age interval of 10 years;Group 1 (20-30 yrs), group 2 (>30-40 yrs), group 3 (>40-50 yrs), group 4 (>50-60 yrs) & group5 (> 60 yrs). Assessment of suture closure was done according to the Frederic Rating Scale onCT imaging. The acquired data was statistically analyzed. Results: The current study revealed apositive correlation between age and cranial suture closure, also we observed that sagittal suturecloses earlier and begins closure first through its second part (S2) at around 38.82±11.62followed by coronal sutures where the second part (C2) is the first to start closure with mean ageof 43.29±16.58 and then lambdoid suture. Conclusions: Cranial suture can be used as a tool forage estimation through usage of CT imaging both ectocranially and endocranially but with onedecade interval error with no differences between males and females.