Abstract: Objective To study the difference of bone development of the Han male adolescents in Hainan, Henan and Zhejiang provinces. Methods All radiographs including sternal end of clavicle, pelvis and six main bone joints taken from 877 Han male adolescents aged between 12.00 and 20.00 in Hainan, Henan and Zhejiang provinces were reviewed. Twenty-four indices of skeletal development were analyzed based on “The Grading Standards” of skeletal growth of teenagers and then the bone age were calculated using mathematical model functions. The ratios of the bone age and the chronological age were then analyzed by statistical software. Results The development of Hainan male adolescents’ skeleton were about 1.09 years and 1.26 years earlier than that in Henan and Zhejiang at the age group of 12.00-12.99 years. The development of Hainan male adolescents’ skeleton were about 0.70 years and 1.38 years earlier than that in Henan and Zhejiang at the age group of 13.00-13.99 years, while the development of Henan male adolescents’ skeleton were about 0.68 years earlier than that in Zhejiang in this age group. The development of Hainan male adolescents’ skeleton were about 0.79 years later than that in Henan at the age group of 18.00-18.99 years. The development of Hainan male adolescents’ skeleton were about 0.70 years and 0.95 years later than that in Henan and Zhejiang at the age group of 19.00-20.00 years. Conclusion There are significant differences in the skeleton development of Han male adolescents between the provinces of Hainan, Henan and Zhejiang. These results provide potential value for the practice of forensic medicine, anthropology and clinical medicine.

Key words: forensic anthropology, age determination by skeleton, adolescent, Han nationality, Hainan, Henan, Zhejiang