Trabecular bone microstructure parameters as predictors for chronological age: a systematic review.

Area of Science:

• Forensic Anthropology
• Medical Imaging
• Bone Biology

Background:

• Accurate chronological age estimation is essential for forensic identification.
• Medical imaging offers quantitative methods for macroscopic bone evaluation.
• Trabecular bone microstructure changes with age, offering potential for age estimation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the association between age-related changes in trabecular bone microstructure and chronological age.
• To evaluate the utility of non-invasive imaging techniques for age estimation in forensic science.
• To synthesize current knowledge on trabecular bone microarchitectural parameters for chronological age assessment.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review following PRISMA guidelines.
• Electronic searches of PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane, and Google Scholar.
• Qualitative synthesis using the Anatomical Quality Assessment tool and narrative data synthesis.

Main Results:

• 14 articles were included from an initial search of 3467 articles.
• Microcomputed tomography, high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography, and cone beam computed tomography are key imaging techniques.
• Age-related changes include decreased bone volume fraction, trabecular number, and connectivity density, with increased trabecular separation; morphometric indices vary by age and site.

Conclusions:

• Non-invasive imaging techniques effectively quantify trabecular bone microarchitecture for chronological age estimation.
• Trabecular bone microarchitectural parameters provide reliable indicators for age assessment in forensic contexts.
• Further research can refine these methods for improved accuracy in forensic age estimation.