BONES OF THE HEAD&NECK
After this session you will be able to
define the human skull as well as to
describe the main parts of bones of the
skull.
DEFINITIONS

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Skull: The entire skeleton of the head.
B.
Neurocranium: The bony “brain box” enclosing the
brain, excluding the bones of the face.
C.
Calvaria: Skull cap - the upper dome-like portion of
the skull.
D.
Facial skeleton (Viscerocranium): Anterior portion
of the skull; consists of seven bones.
E.
Diploe: The central layer of spongy bone between
the two layers of compact bone (external and internal tables) of
the flat cranial bones.
SKELETON - AXIAL SKELETON
SKULL
 VERTEBRAL COLUMN
 HYOID BONE

Sutures
Sagittal
Sutures
Frontal
(Coronal)
Sutures
Squamous
Sutures
Lambdoid
Sutures
FOUR MAJOR SUTURES OF THE CRANIUM
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
coronal  between frontal and
parietals f/p
sagittal  between parietals
p/p
squamosal  between temporal
and parietals t/p
lambdoidal  between occipital
and parietals o/p
Most of the remaining sutures are named
by joining the names of the adjacent bones
together (e.g., zygomaticotemporal,
frontonasal, etc.).
Sutural bones (Wormian bones) may be
present within the sutures themselves
FONTANELLES = MEMBRANE-FILLED GAPS
BETWEEN DEVELOPING CRANIAL BONES OF
NEWBORNS
 Anterior
fontanelle
 B. Posterior fontanelle
 C. Sphenoidal
fontanelle
 D. Mastoid fontanelle
CRANIOMETRIC POINTS
skull landmarks used in
anthropology for taking
measurements and
differentiating skulls
from different
groups/populations

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Nasion = the midpoint of the nasofrontal suture.
Bregma = the junction of the
sagittal and frontal sutures.
Lambda = junction of the
lambdoidal and sagittal sutures.
Pterion = the region of the
sphenoid fontanelle where the
sphenoid, frontal, parietal and
temporal bones meet.
Inion = the tip of the external
occipital protuberance.
Asterion = the region of the
mastoid fontanelle where the
parietal, occipital and temporal
bones meet.
Glabella = the smooth raised area
above the nasion and between the
eyebrows.
MAJOR BONES OF THE SKULL

Frontal Bone

Inferior nasal concha

Parietal bone

Lacrimal bone

Occipital bone

Vomer

Temporal bone

Nasal bone


Sphenoid bone



Maxilla
Palatine bone
Zygomatic bone
Mandible
Frontal
Parietal
Temporal
Vomer
Nasal
Zygoma
Maxilla
Mandible
Mastoid Process
External Auditory Meatus
Parietal
Frontal
Sphenoid
Nasal
Temporal
Zygoma
Maxilla
Occipital
Mastoid Process
Mandible
External Auditory Meatus
Frontal bone (1)
Frontal
1. Frontal tuber (frontal eminence)
2. Superciliary arch
3. Supra-orbital margin
a. Supra-orbital notch (or foramen)
4. Frontal sinus (a paranasal sinus)
Frontal
Parietal
1. Parietal tuber (Parietal eminence)
2. Superior and inferior temporal lines
3. Parietal foramen
Parietal
SPHENOID (1)
1. Body of sphenoid bone
a. Sella turcica
- Tuberculum sellae
- Hypophysial fossa
- Dorsum sellae
- Posterior clinoid processes
b. Sphenoidal sinus
2. Lesser wing
a. Optic canal
b. Anterior clinoid process
c. Superior orbital fissure
3. Greater wing
a. Foramen rotundum
b. Foramen ovale
c. Surfaces: cerebral,
temporal,
infratemporal, orbital
4. Pterygoid process (paired)
a. Medial and lateral plates
b. Pterygoid fossa
c. Pterygoid canal
d. Pterygoid hamulus
Sphenoid
Ethmoid bone (1)
1. Crista galli
2. Cribriform plate
3. Cribriform foramina
4. Perpendicular plate
5. Ethmoidal labyrinth– the
central bony mass of the
Ethmoid.
a. Superior and middle nasal
conchae
[Project into the nasal cavities]
b. Orbital plate
[Located in the medial wall of
the orbit]
[These are small mucous
membrane lined air spaces =
paranasal sinuses]
1. Foramen magnum
2. Basilar part of occipital bone
- Pharyngeal tubercle
3. Occipital condyles
4. Condylar fossa (paired)
5. Condylar foramen (may not be present) (may be paired)
6. Hypoglossal canal (paired)
7. External occipital protuberance
8. Nuchal lines (paired)
a. Inferior nuchal line
b. Superior nuchal line
9. Internal occipital protuberance
Occipital (1)
Temporal
Temporal
TEMPORAL(2)
1. Tympanic part of temporal bone
a. External acoustic meatus
2. Squamous part of temporal bone
a. Zygomatic process
3. Petrous part of temporal bone
Internal acoustic meatus
Styloid process
Mastoid process
Jugular fossa
c. Structures/spaces within
the petrous temporal bone
Middle ear (Tympanic cavity + auditory
ossicles)
Internal ear
Facial canal (contains facial nerve)
4. Mandibular fossa
5. Articular tubercle
Maxilla
Maxilla
1. Body of the maxilla
a. Orbital surface of body
- Infra-orbital canal
- Infra-orbital groove
b. Infra-orbital margin
c. Anterior surface of body
- Infra-orbital foramen
d. Infratemporal surface of body
e. Nasal surface of body
f. Maxillary sinus (a paranasal sinus)
2. Frontal process
3. Zygomatic process
4. Palatine process
a. Nasal crest (attaches to and makes
up a small portion of the nasal
septum)
5. Alveolar process
a. Dental alveoli (“tooth sockets)
b. Incisive foramen
MAXILLA(2)
MANDIBLE (1)
Mandible
Mandible
Body of the mandible
a. Base of mandible
b. Mental protuberance
c. Mental foramen (paired)
d. Digastric fossa
e. Mental spines
f. Mylohyoid line
g. Sublingual fossa
h. Submandibular fossa
i. Alveolar part of body
- Dental alveoli (“tooth sockets”)
2. Ramus of mandible (paired)
a. Angle of mandible
b. Mandibular foramen
c. Mandibular canal
d. Lingula
e. Mylohyoid groove
f. Coronoid process
g. Mandibular notch
h. Condylar process
- Head of mandible
MANDIBLE (1)
Mandibular fossa
Articular
emminence
condyle
Coronoid
process of
mandible
neck
Mandibular
notch
Mental foramen for
V3 sensory branch
zygomatic
masseter
Three layers:
Superficial, middle and deep with slightly different fiber
orientations; important in recruitment for chewing
FACIAL BONES , CONT.
ZYGOMATIC(2)
 NASAL(2)
 LACRIMAL(2)
 VOMER(1)
 PALATINE(2)
 INFERIOR NASAL CONCHA(2)

Nasal
Nasal
Vomer
Zygoma
Frontal View
Zygoma
Lateral View
Palatine bones (paired)
1. Horizontal plate
a. Nasal crest [attaches to
and makes up a small
portion of the nasal
septum]
b. Lesser palatine foramen
[there may be more than
one present]
2. Perpendicular plate
a. Orbital process
[contributes a small portion
to the bony orbit]
HYOID

only bone which does not articulate with
another bone
U
shape
 location - suspended in the mid anterior neck
region by ligaments
 tongue attaches to hyoid
 forms the top of the larynx (voice box)
BONES ASSOCIATED WITH THE NASAL
CAVITY

septum
 perpendicular
plate of the ethmoid
 vomer

lateral walls of the nasal cavity
 superior
concha
 middle concha
 inferior concha
CRANIAL CAVITY AS A
WHOLE
A. Anterior cranial fossa
B. Middle cranial fossa
1. Groove for middle
meningeal artery (and
its frontal and parietal
branches)
C. Posterior cranial
fossa