Although the physiological process of fracture healing has been well studied, there is little information available on the radiographic assessment of the rates of pediatric fracture healing. The aims of this thesis are to extrapolate data on fracture healing from radiographs, evaluate rates of fracture repair in young children, and compare how these rates vary with the age of the individual and the skeletal element involved. The schedule presented may enable forensic anthropologists or radiologists to supply information on the timing of injuries to radiographed remains that exhibit varying degrees of healing.

This study examines 294 radiogaphs of tibial and radial fractures in 107 infants and young children. A series of stages were used to describe and measure the typical bone repair process for these individuals. The sample was segmented into age groups (0-1 years, 2-3 years, and 4-5 years) and fracture location (forearm and leg). The variation in fracture healing rates among age groups was examined using ANOVA with Bonferroni correction. The variation in fracture healing between the tibia and radius was determined using Welch's t-test. The results determined that age affected the healing rate at the beginning and end of the healing process, with younger individuals healing at a faster rate. Fracture location influenced the healing rate at the beginning to middle of the healing process, with forearm fractures healing faster than leg fractures.