Applicability of the six-phase method for auricular age estimation in an Indian population: A CT-based study

Abstract

Age estimation plays a crucial role in human identification. Amongst numerous age markers located throughout the skeletal framework, the auricular surface of the ilium presents as a resilient structure, with different methods for auricular age estimation currently in practice. Amongst these methods, the Osborne method is believed to permit accurate age estimation through its use of robust age categories and discrete phase descriptors. The present study aimed to assess the applicability of the Osborne method in an Indian population through a computed tomographic (CT) examination of the auricular surface, an aspect presently unreported. In order to do so, CT scans of 380 individuals were collected and evaluated using the Osborne method. A CT-based examination indicated that surface texture described by Osborne is difficult to appreciate through 3D CT images. Indistinct definitions associated with certain features, and the mosaic display of features within each phase further prevents applying the method effectively. Overall accuracy percentages of 99.47% and 98.90% were obtained using the method in males and females, respectively, with corresponding inaccuracy values of 10.10 years and 9.04 years. Significantly reduced accuracy percentages were obtained with alternate, more robust age brackets presented within the original study, demonstrating the limited reliability associated with the method. Inaccuracy and bias values computed for each decade indicate the relative utility of the method in aging 40–59-year-old individuals. Low accuracy percentages, high error rates and different methodological hindrances encountered within the present study illustrate the limited applicability of the Osborne method in aging an Indian population.