Abstract:
The objective of this study was to determine the rate of ossification of the medial epiphysis of the clavicle and some of the different factors that may influence the rate of ossification in the Ghanaian population. The study was a retrospective study and was conducted at the University of Cape Coast hospital, Cape Coast, Ghana. Chest x-rays of 1035 first year University of Cape Coast students admitted, for the 2008/2009 academic year were used. Statistically significant differences were produced for some of the stages when sex comparisons were done using the t-test for two independent groups with a 95% confidence level. Stages 2 (p=0.001), stage 3 (p<0.001) and stage 4 (p=0-001). The age of onset of ossification of the medial clavicle appeared generally to be earlier in females than in males. The stage of partial ossification of the medial clavicular epiphysis also lasted longer than in other studies indicating a delay in the ossification at this stage. In conclusion conventional x-ray of the medial clavicle can be an effective tool in assessing forensic age of subjects for any purpose; however there is a need to develop reference values that are specific for particular geographical areas.
