Age estimation using the third molar maturity index (I3M). The holistic approach and a bioethical perspective.

Age estimation of the living is a central focus of forensic anthropology and one of the most popular topics in forensic research. Around the world there is a growing demand for age estimation of living mostly related to the global increase in migration movements. At the end-2019, 79.5 million individuals were forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations. 153.300 are unaccompanied minors (UM) but these data are significantly underestimated. Children below 18 years of age seem to be quite half of the total refugee population. Minor usually is a person below the age of 18 years. This is the age of majority in European Union (EU), which legally divided childhood from adulthood. According to EU regulations, Unaccompanied minor (UM) is “a minor who arrives on the territory of the Member States unaccompanied by an adult responsible for him/her whether by law or by the practice of the Member State concerned, and for as long as he/she is not effectively taken into the care of such a person; it includes a minor who is left unaccompanied after he/she has entered the territory of the Member States”. In 2019, 13.800 asylum seekers in the EU were considered to be UM, 85% were males and two-thirds were aged 16 to 17. The range of countries from which UM come is extremely wide: over half of UM were citizens of six countries (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Somalia, Guinea and Iraq) and only half of the children under 5 years old has their births registered. UM status implies special assistance and child rights protection including the appointment of a guardian/representative to act in the best interest of the child, accommodation in special facilities for minors, tailored healthcare services, automatic access to education with a personalized learning plan, social welfare assistance and integration plans. In this context, age assessment has a considerable importance because a child incorrectly assessed as an adult may be in danger if placed within an adult environment, while placing an adult incorrectly in a children’s environment may expose children to risks. Nonetheless, there are important questions about ethical and legal issues that continue to arise regarding age estimation in the living person.