Replica 4-month-old Human Child Skull

Cast from an original specimen in a Forensic Osteology teaching collection at a North American medical school, this expertly crafted skull shows features typical of infants. Although no teeth have erupted in either upper or lower jaws, midline elevations in the midline mandibular dental arcade represent the earliest evidence of primary (deciduous) incisor eruption. This near-eruption status is confirmed by an accompanying mandibular radiograph of the original specimen. The mandibular primary incisors typically erupt between 6 and 10 months after birth. An evaluation of the fontanelles (soft spots") can also provide valuable information for age determination. The anterior fontanelle is widely open (generally closes around the middle of the second year of life) Thus, this skull is likely from an infant who died between 3 and 6 months after birth.