Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026
A Morphometric and Cellular Analysis Method for the Murine Mandibular Condyle
Published on: January 11, 2018
Mandibular torus thickness associated with age: Postmortem computed tomographic analysis.
Satomi Mizuno1, Sachiko Ono2, Yohsuke Makino3
1Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; Department of Drug Dependence Research, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8553, Japan.
Mandibular torus thickness increases with age, particularly in males with occlusal contact. This finding suggests that mandibular torus measurements can aid in forensic age estimation of human corpses.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Anthropology
- Radiology
- Anatomy
Background:
- Age estimation is crucial for identifying human remains.
- The mandible offers several skeletal landmarks for age assessment due to age-related morphological changes.
- Previous research suggests a link between mandibular torus size and aging, but measurement difficulties have limited investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between age and mandibular torus thickness.
- To utilize postmortem computed tomography (CT) data from Japanese corpses for this analysis.
- To determine if mandibular torus thickness can be a reliable indicator for age estimation.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of postmortem CT data from 2,792 Japanese individuals (age range 0-101 years).
- Multivariable regression analysis was employed to assess the impact of age on mandibular torus thickness.
- Adjustments were made for sex, height, weight, and occlusal contact status, including an interaction term for age and occlusion.
Main Results:
- Mandibular torus thickness demonstrated a significant positive correlation with increasing age.
- This association was particularly pronounced in males with occlusal contact.
- The study identified a significant modification of this relationship by occlusal status and sex.
Conclusions:
- Mandibular torus thickness is significantly associated with age in a manner influenced by occlusal status and sex.
- Measurements of mandibular torus thickness, in conjunction with occlusal status, may serve as a valuable tool for forensic age estimation.
- This research provides a novel approach to age estimation using readily available CT data.
