Age trends and sex in bone mineral density (BMD) play a significant role in the estimation of age-at-death (AAD) of unidentified human remains. Evidence suggest that the current methodologies lack the ability to precisely estimate age in older individuals. In this regard, a recent study reported a more accurate way to assess an individual's age at death, based on the BMD of the femur and cranium. Moreover, the results demonstrated age and sex-dependent changes in BMD especially for individuals over the age of 55, further offering improvement from current aging methods for older individuals. In addition, the results suggest a significant relationship between the sexes and cranial BMD and a significant relationship between age cohorts and femoral neck BMD.
Source: Paschall A, Ross AH. Biological sex variation in bone mineral density in the cranium and femur. Science & Justice. 2018 Jan 19…
