THE SKULL

2 Divisions
Cranium
Face
• Most complex bony structure
• 22 bones in all
• Mostly flat bones, but not all!
 Cranial Bones: 8
• Friday Find and describe:
• 1. frontal bone
• 2. occipital bone
• 3. sphenoid bone
• 4. ethmoid bone
• 5. parietal bones (2)
• 6. temporal bones (2)
 Functions of Cranial Bones
• Enclose and protect the brain
• Attachment sites for head and neck
muscles
 Functions of Facial Bones
• 1. form framework of face
• 2. contain cavities for special sense
organs
• 3. openings for food/air passage
• 4. secure the teeth
• 5. anchor the facial muscles of expression
• ALL BONES OF THE SKULL ARE
FIRMLY LOCKED IN PLACE BY JOINTS
CALLED SUTURES

• Four major sutures

 THE CRANIUM (8)
1 frontal bone
2 parietal bones
2 temporal bones
1 occipital bone
1 sphenoid bone
1 ethmoid bone
THE FRONTAL BONE
Parietal Bones: Form most of the superior and
lateral aspects of the skull

Figure 7.3a
 Parietal Bones
• Curved, rectangular bones forming
majority of the cranium

• All four major sutures articulate with this

bone
Look up the 4 major sutures of
the skull
 Parietal Bones and Major Associated Sutures

• Four sutures mark the articulations of the

parietal bones
– Coronal suture – articulation between
parietal bones and frontal bone anteriorly
– Sagittal suture – where right and left parietal
bones meet superiorly
– Lambdoid suture – where parietal bones
meet the occipital bone posteriorly
– Squamosal or squamous suture – where
parietal and temporal bones meet
 Occipital Bone and Its Major
Markings
• Forms most of skull’s
posterior wall and
base
• Major markings
include the posterior
cranial fossa,
foramen magnum,
occipital condyles,
and the hypoglossal
canal
Figure 7.2b
 Temporal Bones
• Lateral sides of the skull
• Zygomatic process connects with
zygomatic arch
• External auditory meatus (external ear)
• Styloid process muscle attachment for
tongue and neck
• Mastoid process neck muscles
Temporal Bones

Figure 7.5
 Sphenoid Bone
• Spans width of middle cranial fossa
• Articulates with all other cranial bones
• Three parts greater wing, lesser wing
and pterygoid processes
• Sella turcica enclosure for pituitary
gland
 Ethmoid Bone
• Complex shape
• Nasal cavity and orbital cavity
• Cribriform plate roof of the nasal cavity
• Crista galli- outermost covering of the
brain cover connects here
 Maxillary Bones
• Medially fused bones that make up the
upper jaw and the central portion of the
facial skeleton
• Facial keystone bones that articulate with all
other facial bones except the mandible
• Their major markings include palatine,
frontal, and zygomatic processes, the
alveolar margins, inferior orbital fissure, and
the maxillary sinuses
Maxillary Bone

Figure 7.8b