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. 2016 Sep;130(5):1371-7.
doi: 10.1007/s00414-016-1324-5. Epub 2016 Feb 25.

Human cranial vault thickness in a contemporary sample of 1097 autopsy cases: relation to body weight, stature, age, sex and ancestry

H H Hans De Boer  1 , A E Lida Van der Merwe  2 , V Vidija Soerdjbalie-Maikoe  3
Affiliations

Human cranial vault thickness in a contemporary sample of 1097 autopsy cases: relation to body weight, stature, age, sex and ancestry

H H Hans De Boer et al. Int J Legal Med. 2016 Sep.

Abstract

The relation between human cranial vault thickness (CVT) and various elements of the physical anthropological biological profile is subject of ongoing discussion. Some results seem to indicate no correlation between CVT and the biological profile of the individual, whereas other results suggest that CVT measurements might be useful for identification purposes. This study assesses the correlation between CVT and body weight, stature, age, sex, and ancestry by reviewing data of 1097 forensic autopsies performed at the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI). In subadults (younger than 19 years of age at the time of death), all frontal, temporal, and occipital CVT measurements correlated moderately to strongly with indicators of growth (body weight, stature, and age). Neither sex nor ancestry correlated significantly with cranial thickness. In adults, body weight correlated with all CVT measurements. No meaningful correlation was found between CVT and stature or age. Females showed to have thicker frontal bones, and the occipital region was thicker in the Negroid subsample. All correlation in the adult group was weak, with the distribution of cranial thickness overlapping for a great deal between the groups. Based on these results, it was concluded that CVT generally cannot be used as an indicator for any part of the biological profile.

Keywords: Age; Ancestry; Biological profile; Cranial vault thickness; Forensic anthropology; Sex.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mean frontal, temporal, and occipital cranial vault thickness measurements plotted against age (n = 1097). The dashed vertical line at age 19 divides the subadult and adult subsamples
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mean cranial thickness measurements plotted for age, weight, and stature in the subadult sample. PCC = Pearson’s correlation coefficient
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Mean cranial thickness measurements plotted against age, body weight, and stature in the adult sample. PCC = Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Only significant PCCs (p < 0.05) are given
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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