European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Background: Determination of age of majority is essential at the time of employment, marriage, fixation of criminal responsibility, judicial punishment, exercise of adult franchise etc. Determination of age forms a major help in solving many medico legal issues. The study of epiphyseal union of bone is considered a reasonable scientific & accepted method of estimation of age by the court of law all over the world. It is the maximum of age estimation that we should combine information from as many epiphyses as possible to provide the most accurate estimate of biological age and therefore chronological age.
Material and methods: The study was conducted at the department of Anatomy with the help of department of Radiology, PMCH, Patna. The material for study consisted of 100 subjects between the age of 11 and 18 years (52 males, 42 females) Source of subjects were from a nearby school. Students of Patna Bihar region were taken for study. The age was verified by checking the date of birth from school admission records. Among these students of 11 to 15 years were students who were in fifth to tenth standards.
Conclusions: There was difference between the age of epiphyseal union of lower end humerus and upper end ulna and upper end radius among the males and females. In general the fusion of epiphyses occurs 3-4 years earlier in females as compared to the fusion in males.