A note on the effect of asymmetry in suture closure in mature human skulls

Studies on suture closure in mature European and East African Bantu skulls revealed marked differences in the degree of suture closure on the left and right side. Asymmetrical closure of sutures may lead to erroneous conclusions being made in ageing skulls if only one-half of the skull is available for examination. Asymmetry in suture closure was rather common in recent skulls, being particularly noticeable in the bregmatic and complicate parts of the coronal suture and in intermediate portions of lambdoid sutures.