Applicability of Cementochronology to Estimate Season-of-Death in Humans: Insights From Modern Documented Collections

Author

Olga Ibarra-Sanchez, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Date of Award

12-1-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS)

Department

Biology

First Advisor

Carina Marques

Second Advisor

Benoit Bertrand

Third Advisor

Guy Duke

Abstract

Dental cementum is characterized by lifelong deposition of alternating opaque annuli in fall/winter and translucent bands in spring/summer. This study aims to test the applicability of cementochronology to estimate season-of-death, by observing the properties of the last layer, with direct implications for forensic anthropology and bioarchaeology. The sample includes canine teeth from 146 adults (84 males, 62 females), age-at-death ranging from 20-97 years (mean=61.7 years, SD=18.6 years), from two contemporary skeletal collections. Of these individuals, 78 (53.4%) died in spring/summer and 68 (46.6%) died in fall/winter. Overall accuracy was low at 64.4% (94/146). Accuracy was higher for spring/summer deaths 100.0% (78/78) than for fall/winter deaths 23.5% (16/68). Factors, such as periodontal regression, age-at-death, postmortem interval, and deposition-type discrepancies were assessed; however, none showed a significant difference in classification accuracy (multiple logistic regression: p > 0.05). The observed discrepancies in accuracy highlight limitations in using cementochronology for season-of-death estimation.

Comments

Copyright 2025 Olga Ibarra-Sanchez. All Rights Reserved. https://proquest.com/docview/3292560810

Recommended Citation

Ibarra-Sanchez, O. (2025). Applicability of Cementochronology to Estimate Season-of-Death in Humans: Insights From Modern Documented Collections [Master's thesis, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley]. ScholarWorks @ UTRGV. https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/etd/1850