Geometrics Morphometrics in Craniofacial Skeletal Age Estimation - A Systematic Review.

Area of Science:

• Forensic Anthropology
• Biometrics
• Statistical Shape Analysis

Background:

• Traditional forensic age assessment methods have limitations.
• Geometric morphometrics is an emerging statistical technique for analyzing shape variations.
• Craniofacial skeletal remains are frequently used for age estimation in forensic contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the accuracy and reliability of geometric morphometrics for craniofacial skeletal age estimation.
• To evaluate geometric morphometrics as an additional tool in forensic age assessment.
• To synthesize findings from existing cross-sectional studies on this topic.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus with specific Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms.
• Cross-sectional studies investigating geometric morphometrics in craniofacial skeletal age estimation were included.
• The Anatomical Quality Assessment (AQUA) tool was utilized for quality appraisal of the selected studies.

Main Results:

• Four studies met the inclusion criteria for qualitative synthesis.
• Results indicate that geometric morphometrics is a viable method for craniofacial skeletal age estimation.
• Centroid size, derived from digitized or CBCT images, emerged as a significant predictor of age.

Conclusions:

• Geometric morphometrics is a rapid and accurate technique for estimating age from craniofacial skeletal remains.
• The method can be applied to single skeletal elements and utilizes digital or CBCT images.
• Further research is recommended to generate robust data for potential meta-analysis.