Age at Death Diagnosis by Cranial Suture Obliteration: A Bayesian Approach

In subadults and young adults, the bones of the cranial vault articulate by means of sutures, i.e. synarthroses (immovable or almost immovable joints). A suture consists of the edges of two adjoining bones, more or less serrate and fitting into each other, each one covered with a thin layer of fibrous connective tissue with the function of periosteum, which separates them and at the same time unites them. The appearance is that of continuous, sinuous, serrate lines, clearly delimiting the various cranial bones, along which growth of the cranial vault occurs; in fact, as long as the intervening connective membrane persists, the bone can continue to increase in surface area. This membrane can be more or less thick and thus the articulating bone surfaces can be more or less separated. The distance is usually greater in young individuals and decreases with age. In fact, starting at a certain age, ossification invades the sutural membrane and the sutures begin to disappear due to the progressive fusion of the bones (physiological synostosis).