A Comparison of Different Age Estimation Methods of the Adult Pelvis

The adult human pelvis is useful to estimate age because it contains three age indicators—the pubic symphysis, auricular surface, and acetabulum. This study tested the accuracy, inaccuracy, and bias of age estimation from the Suchey‐Brooks pubic symphysis, Osborne auricular surface, Rissech and Calce acetabulum aging methods, and a summary age of these indicators. The study sample consisted of 212 White individuals with known age and sex from the William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection. The Rissech method performed the best, was the most accurate method with smallest inaccuracy and bias, followed by the Osborne, Suchey‐Brooks, summary age, and then Calce methods. Though the Pearson correlation showed only the Suchey‐Brooks method to correlate significantly with known age, it is likely the Suchey‐Brooks study sample coincidentally reflected the age distribution of this test sample. Results suggested that Bayesian prediction may improve age estimation and should be applied to other age indicators.