Abstract
Palatal suture obliteration methods aid the biological assessment created by the forensic anthropologist to aid the medical examiner and law enforcement agency in the positive identifi-cation of unidentified cadavers and decedents. Hens and Goode (2020) recently reassessed Robert Mann and colleagues foundational research (1987) using palatal sutures to age unidenti-fied decedents. Mann and colleagues (1987) used four sutures compared to five (Hens & God-de 2020). Both methods assess the same percentage of obliteration in certain areas of each su-ture because these sutures, comprised of the union of the two maxilla (upper jaw) and palatine (back of the hard palate), tend to be recovered and present for analysis when other skeletal markers of age disappear due to scavenging (Pokines, 2021). While the presence of these su-tures and their role in identification is important, technological advances help speed assessment (Christiansen et. al. 2019).
In her 2017 article, Dr. Heather Garvin discussed the growing purposes and uses of 3D technologies in forensic procedures. Dr. Garvin posited that forensic anthropologists should supplement their gross or macroscopic methods using 3D technology. I contend that suture ag-ing is a line of skeletal evidence that lends itself to 3D technology and can test its utility relative to gross or macroscopic examination.
My study aims to bridge a gap in literature to understand the utility, replicability, and ac-cessibility of the Hens & Godde (2020) palatal aging method. My secondary aim was to inves-tigate the utility of 3D scans in palatal suture age estimation. Specifically, I evaluated 22 maxil-lae from the Florida Gulf Coast University’s Human Identity and Trauma Analysis Human Re-mains Donation Program. First, I macroscopically examined the maxillae using the Hens and Goode (2020) method. I conducted a quality assurance measure (by aging the donations twice) to ensure consistency in age estimation via intra-observer error. Following this visual assess-ment, I scanned the maxilla using the Faro ScanArm software to capture the degree of oblitera-tion and score the sutures. All collected scores were then run through the Palatal Suture Age Estimator R file and their look-up table of high posterior density intervals, developed by Hens and Godde both to supplement their research and make the method usable by all anthropolo-gists. The data retrieved from both was then analysed to determine the percentage of age ranges that captured the known age of the individual.
It was found that the method produced accurate results when applied manually, but when applied on 3D scans, there was more hesitation in the application, leading to reduced ac-curacy. As for the interobserver researchers, the individual with the highest level of training had the lowest percentage of success from the 3D scans and the individuals with a lower education and experience level had higher amounts of success in collecting scores that provided accurate age ranges.
Palatal suture sites remain an aging technique that is best used as a supplement to the more well known and consistent methods applied to postcranial skeletal regions. The palatal sutures should only be utilized on its own when no other areas are available for assessment.