Reliability of the methods applied to assess age minority in living subjects around 18 years old

We present a review of a population of 114 immigrant Moroccan males for which an age estimation was requested. The subjects' real chronological age was confirmed by the Moroccan Embassy in Spain. The confirmed age range was between 13 and 25, with an average age of 18.1 years and a standard deviation of 2.03. The following tests were performed to arrive at the forensic estimation of age: general physical examination, carpus X-ray (Greulich and Pyle method) and dental orthopantomography to determine the degree of maturity of the third inferior molars (Demirjian's method). Carpus X-ray (skeletal age) was the most useful method, followed by Demirjian's method (dental age), as prediction factors of a chronological age of over or under 18. The combination of skeletal and dental age variables represented a significant improvement in the prediction of the chronological age of the subjects in this population, reducing the number of ethically unacceptable test errors to a minimum.