Replica 16-month-old Human Child Skull

An examination of this skull suggests an age of 16 to 18 months. The skull has 8 teeth in the maxillary arcade and 9 teeth in the mandibular arcade, all of which have a deciduous morphology. The anterior fontanelle is open. The posterior, sphenoidal and mastoidal fontanelles are closed. The spheno-occipital synchondrosis is open. The calvarial sutures are all open. Age assessment of skeletal remains is best done in the context of the entire skeleton. It is important for educators to emphasize that when limited to the skull, age assessment of subadult remains is best done through a coordinated evaluation of such features as dentition and fontanelle closure, as well as radiographs and/or computed tomography (CT) scans. This is particularly key for studies of tooth development (calcification, eruption).