Received: 24 March 2021 | Revised: 8 June 2021 | Accepted: 1 July 2021 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.14805 TECHNICAL NOTE Anthropology Age-at-death estimation in adults using three forensic methodologies: A Lamendin’s technique approach for Latin American context and the extension of a forensic international dental database Gonzalo Garizoain PhD1 | Roberto C. Parra MA2 | Karen J. Escalante-Flórez DDS3 | Claudia M. Aranda BA4 | Leandro H. Luna PhD5 | Lucio A. Condori MA6 | 7 8 Clara I. Valderrama-Leal DDS | Fernando Retana-Milán DDS Catedra de Citología, Histología y Embriología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina-CONICET, La Plata, Argentina 1 Specialized Forensic Team, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights), The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Geneva, Switzerland 2 3 Especialidad en Odontología Forense, Facultad de Estomatología, Universidad Científica del Sur, Lima, Perú 4 Cátedra de Endodoncia, Facultad de Odontología, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina IMHICIHU-CONICET, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina 5 Abstract In forensic science, the information that teeth provide to the age estimation process is very important. In adults, one of the most widely used indicators of skeletal age is the Root Dentin Translucency (RDT), mainly through the Lamendin technique, which is used in various Latin American contexts. Recently, Parra et al. (2020) have developed a Bayesian regression model using the Lamendin technique to establish standardized criteria for estimating age-at-death in adults in various forensic contexts. In this study, we evaluate the applicability of this proposal together with the proposal by Lamendin et al. (1992) and Prince and Ubelaker (2002) in Latin American contexts. A sample of single-rooted teeth belonging to 805 individuals from six Latin American countries was used. The results of the three proposals considered were analyzed taking into account factors such as age, sex, origin, and the tooth surface on which the variables were surveyed. Of the factors that would affect the estimates, it was found that the age of the individuals had the greatest influence. However, it was confirmed that the Instituto de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses del Perú, Ministerio Público, Lima, Perú sex and surface of the teeth on which the measurements were taken did not influence Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses de Colombia, Bogota, Colombia proposals would also be possible in other forensic contexts, as shown by the results 6 7 8 Fiscalía General del Estado de Puebla, adscrito al Instituto de Ciencias Forenses (INCIFO), Puebla, Mexico Correspondence Gonzalo Garizoain PhD, Catedra de Citología, Histología y Embriología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina- CONICET, La Plata, Argentina. Email: gonzagarizoain@gmail.com the final result. On the other hand, as we expected, the application of the analyzed obtained according to the origin. This research expands the FIDB with more information on Latino contexts. KEYWORDS age estimation, forensic anthropology, forensic international database, lamendin's technique, methodology calibration, root translucency of dentine Highlights ● Methodologies based on Lamendin's technique offered acceptable results in 30–59 years’ age groups. ● Mean errors in the estimates were lower than 10 years for the analyzed methods. ● Age of the individuals was found to be the factor that influence the most in age estimation. ● Sex had no influence on age estimation. J Forensic Sci. 2021;00:1–13. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jfo © 2021 American Academy of Forensic Sciences | 1 2 1 | GARIZOAIN et Al. | I NTRO D U C TI O N and accuracy (41,42). Numerous investigations have highlighted root translucency of dentine (RTD) as highly correlated with age In forensic science, age estimation during the identification pro- (16–18,25,43–45). This physiological process is the result of the cess of deceased persons contributes to, but is not limited to accumulation of hydroxyapatite crystals in the dentinal tubules the classification of unknown human remains for individualiza- (25,46). While this process has been identified since the age of tion against a list of missing persons, as well as corroborating 25 years old (16,18), some research identified radicular trans- genetic information regarding suspected false positives, or the lucency around the very beginning of the third decade of life construction of demographic profiles following mass discoveries (13,44,46,47). of human remains (1). Several researchers agree on the critical Since Gustafson (43) incorporated this indicator in an early age importance of age estimation in forensic science (2–7). However, estimation proposal for adults, root dentinal translucency has been forensic scientists face a number of methodological limitations studied and used in different investigations as a reliable indica- in adult age estimation (4,7,8). This biological parameter is gen- tor of age (16,41). In the following decades, several investigations erally estimated from a holistic understanding of the degenera- were carried out analyzing the potential of dentinal translucency tive changes that occur in the skeletal system over time (4,9). as an estimator of adulthood (16,45,48). In 1992, Lamendin et al. Historically, adult age estimation procedures have been based on developed a proposal for age estimation based on the combina- the morphological analysis and description of skeletal indicators tion of two dental age indicators, dentine root translucency, and such as the pubic symphysis, the costochondral joint, the auricu- periodontal recession, expressed as indices in relation to total root lar surface, and cranial sutures, among others, which illustrate length for uniradicular teeth. The distinctiveness of this technique phase systems or degenerative stages (2,5,8,10) although they lies in the fact that in addition to focusing on uniradicular denti- have not necessarily demonstrated effectiveness and statistical tion, the procedure is applied on intact teeth, which simplifies its robustness (8). On the other hand, there are methods that quan- application and makes it accessible and effective in various con- tify degenerative changes in the skeletal system, such as those texts (25,44). based on bone cortical histomorphometry and incremental lines During the last 20 years, several scientific teams around the of dental cementum (11–14), secondary dentine formation (15), or world tested Lamendin proposal (18) on populations of different increased root translucency (14,16–18). These quantitative pro- origins (23,25,27–29,31,33,34,44,49,50). One of the main as- cedures have shown a better performance than those that record pects studied was the influence of the population provenience qualitative variables (8). However, as it has been highlighted in on the estimates (25,27,28). Several papers highlight the need to the past, it is necessary to use all available indicators during the generate methodologies whose applicability overcome the lim- forensic achieve optimal results (2,4,5,8). its usually imposed by the reference population characteristics, Regardless of the type of methodologies for age estimation as satisfactory results when applied to populations from differ- chosen by the researcher, certain aspects are a matter of dis- ent backgrounds have been reported only in few cases (25,27– cussion (8,19). One of them lies in the feasibility of extrapolat- 29,31,51). In addition, variables such as sex, type of tooth or the ing and applying proposals developed in specific populations to surface on which the measurements are taken, have also been others of different backgrounds (in terms of estimation error). considered as factors whose impact would not be problematic in In this sense, some research has focused on the validation and the application of this proposal (27,28,31,44,50). In contrast, the recalibration of different methodological proposals (20–29). age of the individuals has proved to be a parameter that must be Another aspect to be considered is the magnitude of the error in taken into account, given that the error in the estimates system- the estimates according to the chronological age, a fact that has atically tends to increase with age, regardless of the sex or the been highlighted by numerous studies (25,27,28,30–34), most population affiliation (25,28,31,44,49,50). Another factor that of which report acceptable results with errors between 0 and has also been indicated as producing variation in the translucency 10 years (8). However, some forensic scientists continue to be recording is the postmortem interval and the impact of tapho- too anxious about obtaining accurate results, even though bio- nomic processes such as pH, soil chemical composition, and the logical rhythms rarely behave in such a way this kind of narrow intensity of bacterial activity (44,47), aspects that have not been estimates may be possible. In adult individuals, many of the bone sufficiently considered when analyzing the factors that affect age and dental age indicators tend to overestimate age in young in- estimations (52). dividuals (under 30 years) and underestimate age in older age Since Lamendin's technique was introduced, there is now more groups (older than 40 years) (8,25,26,31,35,36). Moreover, an- knowledge about the behavior of the variables that contribute to age other factor that can affect estimates is the sex of the individ- estimation in uniradicular teeth of adult individuals and the indirect ual. Several proposals present specific alternatives based on this factors that condition the calibration of the methodologies derived variable (25,37– 40). from the original proposal (51, see Figure 1). Dental age indicators are important not only because of the In the Latin American context, the technique of Lamendin high degree of preservation of teeth but also because of the phys- et al. (18) was introduced in the early 2000s in countries such as iological potential to estimate age with a high degree of precision Argentina, Colombia, and Guatemala; subsequently, this technique | GARIZOAIN et Al. 3 became popular in Peru, Honduras, Mexico, and Brazil. In Argentina, methodologies selected must meet some requirements for admis- previous studies reported good results in individuals between 35 sibility (58): concerning age estimation, they must have been pre- and 50 years of age, although the average errors in those between viously evaluated (in terms of precision and accuracy) in the target 50 and 65 years of age are also acceptable (22,31). In Peru, the population, and peer-reviewed in high-standard journals (58,59). estimations were adequate despite the population diversity of the Also, the error they offer must be acceptable for the disciplinary samples (27,51); similar investigations have been validated in Chile practice (59). (53), Colombia (28,54), Brazil (33), Mexico (55); Guatemala (56), and Ecuador (57). To contribute to the discussion, the present research evaluates the applicability of three procedures derived from the Lamendin Recently, Parra and colleagues (44) developed a Bayesian technique in Latin American forensic contexts, as well as the in- regression model using the Lamendin technique on a sample fluence of the sex, the trajectory effect (age), the tooth surface on of 693 individuals from different populations. Comparing the which the variables are measured, and the origin of the individuals. results obtained with a Colombian control sample, the authors This study also extends the database originally published by Parra identified that the Bayesian approach produced similar results et al. (44) with new observations from more heterogeneous Latin to those generated by a specific formula. Recently, the same American forensic samples. trends were reported by Parra and colleagues (51) when applying the same procedure to a larger and more heterogeneous Peruvian sample. The need for rigorously validated age estimation methods in forensic contexts is essential to ensure the quality of practice 2 | M ATE R I A L S A N D M E TH O DS 2.1 | Sample and an adequate contribution to the reconstruction of individual biological profiles. This is especially relevant because disputes The sample includes 809 identified adult individuals from six dif- regarding the choice, reproducibility, and applicability of a given ferent Latin American countries, with ages ranging from 20 to methodology may arise in the context of a court case (5,44). The 96 years, a mean age of 46.11 years and a standard deviation of F I G U R E 1 Variability conditions for methodology calibration for the application of Lamendin's technique and its derived methods. Adapted from Parra et al. (51) 4 | GARIZOAIN et Al. 17.19 years (Table 1). The samples come from studies carried out as a yellowish area darker than the rest of the root, measured from by Garizoain et al. (31) and Aranda (60) for the Argentinian in- the cemento-enamel junction (18). Finally, the root length is meas- dividuals; Valderrama Leal et al. (61), Escobar and Sanabria (54) ured from the root apex to the cemento-enamel junction along for Colombian individuals; Sánchez Arias (57) for Ecuadorian the longitudinal axis of the tooth (18). As an inclusion criterion, individuals; Salguero Garrido (56) for Guatemalan individuals; only uniradicular teeth in a good state of preservation and unaf- and Zamora Alvarado (55), Fernando Retana and José Díaz for fected by pathological processes of any kind were considered to Mexican individuals. In addition, this study includes new samples be included. Consequently, the final sample analyzed in this work from individuals from different regions of Peru. Table 2 shows consists of a total of 809 teeth. the distribution by sex according to their country of origin. The Measurements were carried out by scholars specialized in den- most represented countries are Colombia, Peru, Argentina, and tal research. For Argentina, Garizoain analyzed samples from the Mexico, each of them with more than 100 individuals. In contrast, Prof. Dr. "Rómulo Lambre" collection (Faculty of Medical Sciences, the Guatemalan sample represents only 2.48% of the final group National University of La Plata) comprising individuals who died be- (Table 2). tween the mid-20th and early 21st centuries in the city of La Plata, Argentina (62), while Aranda recorded a sample from the Chacarita collection, that includes individuals who died in the late 20th and 2.2 | Methodology early 21st centuries in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (63). The sample analyzed by Condori come from the regions of Measurements of tooth translucency height, periodontal reces- Ayacucho, Huánuco, Huancavelica, Apurímac, Cusco, and Ucayali sion height, and root length were performed following the original (Peru) and correspond to identified human skeletons recovered technique, as shown in Figure 2 (18). All measurements were taken between 1982 and 1993 from various burial sites as part of a se- macroscopically, along the longitudinal axis of the tooth, using a ries of allegations of human rights violations in Peru. On the other digital calliper (with values expressed in millimetres). Root trans- hand, another set of remains recovered from niches in different lucency was measured in some studies using an LED negatoscope, cemeteries from Lima between 2011 and 2012 and buried in 1986 sunlight, direct light from a projector, or on a 48–53 Lumen LED were analyzed by Ibarra and Velezmoro. For Colombia, Valderrama light source (Figure 2). This parameter is considered to be the maxi- and Buitrago (61) analyzed samples belonging to the contemporary mum extent of the translucent zone of the root measured from the Colombian skeletal reference collection of the National Institute apex (18). On the other hand, the periodontal recession is observed of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Bogotá, Colombia (64); TA B L E 1 Age distribution of the analyzed individuals Males Age category n % 20–29 106 73.10 39 30–39 132 70.60 55 40–49 120 69.00 54 50–59 81 61.40 51 Total % n n % Mean SD 26.90 145 18.02 25.00 2.71 29.40 187 23.22 34.41 2.87 31.00 174 21.62 44.53 2.68 38.60 132 16.39 54.02 2.85 60–69 45 67.20 22 32.80 67 8.33 64,16 3.03 70–79 38 64.40 21 35.60 59 7.33 74.42 3.09 19 46.30 22 53.70 41 5.09 85.24 4.66 541 67.20 264 32.80 809 100 45.98 17.27 >80 Total TA B L E 2 Sex and country of origin of the analyzed individuals Females Sex Females Males Total Country of origin n % n % n % Colombia 81 10.07 206 25.59 287 35.66 Perú 41 5.10 113 14.03 154 19.13 Argentina 60 7.46 81 10.06 141 17.52 México 34 4.23 89 11.05 123 15.28 Ecuador 30 3.73 50 6.21 80 9.94 Guatemala 18 2.23 2 0.24 20 2.47 | GARIZOAIN et Al. 5 the results of the estimations were analyzed according to sex, age, and tooth surface (labial and lingual). The statistical test used for comparisons between chronological and estimated age was the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, because the variables considered were not normally distributed (PR: Z = 0.102, df =805, p = 0.00; HR: Z = 0.03, df =805, p = 0.01; SD: Z = 0.09, df =805, p = 0.00). The level of significance used in all statistical tests was 0.05. The calculations for the estimation of the age at death from the method of Parra et al. (44) (FIDB) were performed using the R System version 4.0.1, while the IBM SPSS version 25 was used for the data processing and the remaining statistical analysis. 3 | R E S U LT S The dental variables analyzed correlated significantly with age, although not to the same degree. Translucency (Figure 3) showed the highest correlation (r = 0.634; p = 0.00), while that of periodontal recession (Figure 4) was lower (r = 0.516; p = 0.00) and that of root height almost non-existent (r = 0.092; p = 0.00). The estimations obtained through the three methods provided averaged differences with the documented age of 5.12 F I G U R E 2 View of Root Translucency Height (RTH), Periodontal Height (PH) and Root Height (RH). Root Translucency Height is taken on the labial surface of the tooth by exposing it to a light source (in this case a digital LED negatoscope) (FIDB), 3.07 (LBHTNZ), and 2.05 (PU) years. On the other hand, the absolute mean error in the estimates (the one that does not consider the sign of the difference in the estimate) was 10.27 (FIDB), 10.36 (LBHTNZ), and 10.16 (PU) years. Furthermore, the statistical comparison between the chronological and the estimated ages showed significant differences for the three methods Escobar and Sanabria (54) collected samples from human remains (Table 3). Comparison of the error in estimates by sex did not exhumed in 2002 from the central cemetery of Bogotá, Colombia. show significant differences for any of the methods. The mean Retana and Díaz analyzed cadavers from the Instituto de Ciencias differences between the sexes were 1.11 (Z = −1.06; df =805; Forenses del Estado de Puebla in Mexico and Zamora Alvarado (55) p = 0.285) for the FIDB method, 2.03 (Z = −1.55; df =805; provided samples taken from patients treated at the Facultad de p = 0.11 for the LBHTNZ method and 2.18 (Z = −1.79; df =805; Odontología, Unidad Saltillo, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila p = 0.07) for the PU method. in Saltillo City, Mexico. Finally, Sánchez Arias (57) provided sam- On the other hand, the influence of age on the estimations was as- ples extracted from the archive of the private clinic Dental Artis sessed by dividing the sample into seven age cohorts. The differences in the city of Machachi (Pichincha-Ecuador) and Salguero Garrido between the estimated age and the chronological age were all statis- (56) collected teeth of living persons extracted from various dental tically significant, excepting that of the Parra et al. method (44) in the clinics in Guatemala City. 30–39 age cohort (Table 4). Regarding sex and age, the errors in the Intra- and inter-observer error test were not performed, as such estimates according to sex and age are shown in Table 5. As shown in an analysis has been performed and published in other studies with Table 5, sex differences in estimation error do not exceed 10 years in the individuals considered here (31,44,60). The methods proposed all analyzed age groups. Furthermore, the same tendency of overesti- by Lamendin et al. (18) (LBHTNZ), Prince and Ubelaker (25) (PU) mating age in younger adults and underestimating age in older adults and the proposal based on a Bayesian model developed by Parra is seen. In case of the influence of the tooth surface (lingual/labial) on et al., (44) (FIDB) were applied to obtain the estimated ages and which the measurements were taken, the results obtained indicate to compare the differences with the documented chronological that there were no differences in the estimations (Table 6). age. In the first instance, the degree of correlation with age of the Finally, differences in the estimates of the three proposals variables analyzed was assessed using Spearman's correlation test. were assessed by segregating the samples for each country. The Subsequently, the results of the estimations were analyzed accord- results obtained are shown in Table 7. Statistically significant dif- ing to sex, age, and tooth surface (labial and lingual). The correla- ferences between estimated age and chronological age were found tion between the chronological age and the variables recorded for all methodologies except for the Colombian (PU and LBHTNZ), was assessed using Spearman's correlation test. Subsequently, Peruvian (PU), and Guatemalan (all methods) samples. 6 | GARIZOAIN et Al. F I G U R E 3 Scatter plot showing the correlation between chronological age and the total extent of dentinal root translucency (r = 0.634; p = 0.00) 4 | DISCUSSION being less than 5 years, and 10.39 years in the case of the average absolute error. These results are similar (26,28,32,33) or lower As expected, TDR increases with age, as indicated by the Spearman (31,50,52,69–71) than those reported in previous research, both correlation coefficients obtained. The correlation value for trans- for the Lamendin and the Prince and Ubelaker methods. In addi- lucency is similar to those reported by other studies and therefore tion, the application of the proposal by Prince and Ubelaker (25) can be included within the expected degrees of inter-population offered the lowest error (ME =1.95), although if the absolute er- variation (16,21,28,29,31,44,65–67). As shown by Figure 3, there rors are considered, the three methods tend to offer similar re- is a wider dispersion of the data in the older individuals over sults. According to Nawrocki (8) and Parra et al. (51), errors up to 60 years of age. On the other hand, periodontal recession shows 10 years are acceptable to avoid unintentional exclusion of corpses a similar trend, although the correlation is lower, which has been against lists of missing persons. A better balance between precision explained and justified in previous research by the influence of ex- and accuracy of the results, as well as the statistical robustness of trinsic factors, such as periodontal disease (26,31,68). The future the procedure, strengthens the relevance of the application of the extension of the FIDB will contribute to confirm this physiological method and contributes to the forensic quality of the information behavior. generated (72). Regarding the validation of the methods, statistically signifi- Regarding the sex influences, the results coincide with those cant differences between the estimated and the chronological studies that argue that this factor do not influence the estimates ages were identified in the three proposals analyzed. However, (18,27,31,44,66). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test gave no statis- the values of the average error in the estimates are acceptable, tically significant differences and the discrepancy of the errors | GARIZOAIN et Al. 7 F I G U R E 4 Scatter plot showing the correlation between chronological age and the extent of periodontal recession (r = 0.516; p = 0.00) between males and females were less than 2 years for all the meth- be eliminated, so one of the objectives in this kind of study is to min- ods. Furthermore, when the analysis is segmented by age and sex, imize its impact (8,26,44). the latter influenced to a lesser extent than age. Table 5 shows a Although statistical differences between estimated and chrono- greater variation in the errors between age groups than between logical age were significant for almost all the age cohorts, the esti- sexes in the same cohort, confirming that sex does not influence mation results proved to be optimal for the 30–59 group, if the mean the results. error and the mean absolute errors (below 10 years) are considered. When considering age as a factor influencing the estimates, it No major differences in the results are discernible when the three was found to have a considerable impact. By segmenting the com- methods are compared. Although the errors for the FIDB method parative analysis between estimated and documented age by age co- are more widely dispersed, the mean error is the lowest in four of the horts, the same trend was observed for all three methods analyzed. seven age cohorts. These results are consistent with other studies in In general, there is an overestimation of age in young individuals which age estimation was more precise and accurate in individuals in (evidenced by the results in the first two age cohorts), which gradu- the 30–59 age cohort (25,28,31,44,50). ally reverts to an underestimation of age (a trend observed from the On the other hand, no differences in the estimates according to age of 40 onward). It appears that the FIDB method provides more the tooth surface recorded were identified, with differences of less homogeneous results across all age groups, mitigating both the un- than one year. These results, that coincides with the trends identi- der- and overestimates mentioned above compared with the other fied in other studies (27,31,44), allow to confirm that the use of the methods analyzed. This phenomenon, called the "trajectory effect", labial or the lingual surface to relieve the data is indistinct and do not is inherent to the estimation of age in adult individuals and cannot produce much variation in the results. 8 | GARIZOAIN et Al. TA B L E 3 Results of the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired samples Dif. S.D Dif. abs. Dif. S.D. Dif Abs. Z gl p FIDB 5.12 12.60 10.27 8.91 −10.58 805 0.00* LBHTNZ 3.07 13.30 10.36 8.88 −4.11 805 0.00* PU 2.05 13.09 10.16 8.50 −2.24 805 .02* S.D Dif. abs. Dif. S.D. Dif Abs. Z p *Statistically significant differences. TA B L E 4 Results of the comparisons between the estimated age and the chronological age by cohorts Dif. n 20–29 FIDB 145 −5.80 7.24 7.17 5.88 7.97 0.00* LBHTNZ 145 −11.20 5.01 11.21 5.00 10.44 0.00* PU 145 −11.94 5.01 11.94 5.01 10.44 0.00* 30–39 FIDB 187 −0.58 7.27 5.97 4.15 0.61 0.542 LBHTNZ 187 −4.68 4.90 5.34 4.17 10.51 0.00* PU 187 −5.58 5.03 6.06 4.44 10.74 0.00* 40–49 FIDB 174 3.78 8.07 6.98 5.52 −6.64 0.00* LBHTNZ 174 1.58 5.75 4.56 3.82 −5.12 0.00* PU 174 0.68 5.67 4.30 3.74 −3.02 0.00* 50–59 FIDB 132 7.83 8.46 9.73 6.15 −8.11 0.00* LBHTNZ 132 7.28 6.85 8.72 4.87 −8.39 0.00* PU 132 6.24 6.52 7.78 4.56 −8.05 0.00* 60–69 FIDB 67 15.31 11.28 16.98 8.51 −6.62 0.00* LBHTNZ 67 16.03 8.14 16.55 6.99 −6.95 0.00* PU 67 14.53 8.35 15.28 6.83 −6.76 0.00* 70–79 FIDB 59 19.47 12.94 21.45 9.24 −6.21 0.00* LBHTNZ 59 22.84 7.88 22.84 7.88 −6.68 0.00* PU 59 21.21 8.04 21.21 8.04 −6.68 0.00* >80 FIDB 41 29.48 9.33 29.48 9.33 −5.57 0.00* LBHTNZ 41 32.05 7.07 32.05 7.07 −5.57 0.00* PU 41 30.80 7.12 30.80 7.12 −5.57 0.00* *Statistically significant differences. Regarding the results of the estimations according to the origin of ten years; this trend is probably influenced by the fact that this sample the samples, it is observed that in each population considered, at least is largely composed of older individuals (mean =58.22 years; median one of the methods applied produced statistically significant differ- =59.00 years) than the other ones. On the contrary, the estimates ob- ences in the estimation of age, except for the Guatemalan case. For tained from the Colombian, Peruvian, Mexican, and Guatemalan sam- the samples from Argentina and Ecuador, the three methodologies ples did not statistically differ with the chronological age, in at least produced statistically significant differences between the estimated one of the methods evaluated (in the Colombian: LBHTNZ and PU; and the documented ages. However, the low error values found in the Peruvian: PU; Mexican: FIDB; Guatemalan: all methods). Regarding Ecuadorian sample is worth highlighting, which barely reach 5 years. the latter, although the statistical tests indicated good results, the In contrast, most of the errors in the Argentinean population exceed sample size implies that they should be taken with caution. | GARIZOAIN et Al. Males Females n Dif. abs. Dif. 106 −5.25 6.90 LBHTNZ −10.69 10.69 PU −11.50 11.50 n Dif. 39 −7.30 Sex differences abs. Dif. Dif. abs. Dif. 7.88 −2.05 0.98 −12.60 12.60 −1.91 1.91 −13.14 13.14 −1.64 1.64 6.60 −0.46 0.89 20–29 FIDB 9 TA B L E 5 Mean differences and mean absolute differences between estimated age and chronological age according to sex and age cohorts 30–39 FIDB −.45 5.71 LBHTNZ −4.45 5.14 −5.25 5.82 −0.80 0.68 PU −5.44 5.94 −5.91 6.35 −0.47 0.41 3.73 6.96 3.88 7.03 0.15 0.07 LBHTNZ 1.62 4.59 1.49 4.49 0.13 0.10 PU 0.68 4.24 0.69 4.42 0.01 0.18 7.99 9.29 7.57 10.45 0.42 1.16 LBHTNZ 7.46 8.73 6.99 8.71 0.47 0.02 PU 6.22 7.48 6.28 8.26 0.06 0.78 132 55 −0.91 40–49 FIDB 120 54 50–59 FIDB 81 51 60–69 FIDB 17.02 17.02 11.80 16.89 5.22 0.17 LBHTNZ 16.81 16.81 14.40 16.02 2.41 0.79 PU 15.45 15.45 12.64 14.95 2.81 0.5 45 22 70–79 FIDB 22.11 22.11 14.70 20.25 7.41 1.86 LBHTNZ 38 23.74 23.74 21.20 21.20 2.54 2.54 PU 22.38 22.37 19.08 19.08 3.30 3.30 21 >80 FIDB 26.90 26.90 31.70 31.70 4.80 4.80 LBHTNZ 30.94 30.94 33.01 33.01 2.07 2.07 PU 29.35 29.35 32.05 32.05 2.70 2.70 19 22 TA B L E 6 Results of the comparisons between ages estimated by each method from measurements taken on lingual and labial surfaces Method Estimated age Dif. S.D Dif. Z gl p FIDB Lingual – Labial 39.26 38.59 0.67 4.54 1.56 245 0.11 LBHTNZ Lingual – Labial 41.84 41.24 0.60 3.11 2.29 245 0.02* PU Lingual – Labial 42.90 42.44 0.46 3.27 1.63 245 0.10 *Statistically significant differences 5 | CO N C LU S I O N the origin, and the dental recording surface, were taken into consideration. Age turned out to be the variable that most influenced This study analyzed the applicability of three methods for adult the estimates, since a great variation of errors was observed age estimation using the Lamendin technique. To analyze their for the different cohorts. The best results were obtained in the performance in a Latin American sample, several factors that may range 30–59 years, coinciding with previously reported results influence the estimates, such as sex, the trajectory effect (age), (25,28,31,44,51). 10 | GARIZOAIN et Al. TA B L E 7 Results of comparisons between estimated and documented age for each method in the samples from each country Argentina Colombia Perú Ecuador Guatemala Chron. Mean Age Chron. Median Age 58.51 59.00 45.40 41.20 44.38 44.1 42.00 40.50 45.00 39.50 n 41.19 38.00 S.D Dif. abs. Dif. S.D. Dif Abs. Z p FIDB 141 10.55 15.84 15.81 10.54 −6.62 0.00* LBHTNZ 141 11.18 16.20 16.49 10.70 −6.70 0.00* PU 141 9.80 16.29 15.78 10.55 −6.09 0.00* FIDB 287 4.08 13.42 10.36 9.44 −3.46 0.01* LBHTNZ 287 2.48 14.89 11.82 9.37 −1.20 0.22 PU 287 1.39 14.62 11.71 8.88 −.10 0.91 FIDB 154 6.65 7.29 7.87 5.95 −8.70 0.00* LBHTNZ 154 2.31 7.77 6.27 5.11 −3.05 0.00* PU 154 1.29 7.74 6.17 4.82 −1.53 0.12 80 5.67 4.87 6.36 3.93 −7.00 0.00* FIDB LBHTNZ 80 1.87 4.02 3.74 2.34 −3.59 0.00* PU 80 1.89 4.24 3.90 2.49 −3.69 0.00* FIDB 20 −.16 LBHTNZ 20 −2.22 PU México Dif. FIDB 20 123 9.60 7.63 5.56 .41 0.68 10.86 9.67 4.96 .89 0.37 −3.00 10.27 9.47 4.55 1.23 0.21 −.10 12.97 9.69 8.57 .19 0.42 LBHTNZ 123 −2.29 11.31 9.45 6.56 3.06 0.00* PU 123 −3.39 10.73 9.35 6.20 4.12 0.00* *Statistically significant differences. Similar errors were identified when the provenience of the sam- their Forensic Technology Centre of Excellence Program, RTI ples was analyzed, except for two of them (Argentina and Ecuador); International of U.S. Department of Justice and the National in those cases, the differences were explained as related to its age Scientific and Technical Research Council (Consejo Nacional de composition, which would have produced some bias in the results. Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas- CONICET, Argentina) by Nevertheless, it is highlighted that in general terms the three meth- sponsorship provided. The authors acknowledge to the Instituto ods are adequate for the application in modern and geographically Nacional de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses de Colombia and related samples. Meanwhile, other Latin American contexts can the Instituto de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses del Perú - use global methodologies, such as the one proposed by Parra et al., Ministerio Público, to doctor Francisco Escobar Valdez (Director which offered satisfactory results in different forensic contexts (44). del Instituto de Ciencias Forenses de la Fiscalía General del Estado This research extends the FIDB with new observations, which in the de Puebla). The authors wish to thank Sandra Ibarra, Wendy future would provide a more robust database from which to esti- Velezmoro, Edna Buitrago, Luz Dary Escobar, Efrén Durand, José mate age. María Díaz, Arturo Zamora, Jessica Sánchez and Sindi Salguero for Finally, the importance of this kind of studies is emphasized, as more research about the variation of error in the estimates for differ- providing us with the data that has been part of this research also Erika Alvarado and Martha Maldonado. ent populations are strongly needed (8). Considering the results obtained, the application of these techniques in search of a specific age ORCID value is inappropriate. Researchers, when applying these methodolo- Gonzalo Garizoain gies, should aim to construct more reliable and accurate age estima- Lucio A. Condori https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0359-9875 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4044-3477 tion intervals together with the age information obtained by other skeletal indicators (when available). This way to proceed will contribute to optimize the quality of forensic practice around the world. 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