Skull Anatomy Quiz

Skull Anatomy

• The skeleton of the head and neck includes the skull (22 bones), middle ear ossicles (6), hyoid bone (1), and cervical vertebrae (7).
• The skull is made of several separate bones joined by immobile fibrous joints called sutures.
• The connective tissue between the bones is called a sutural ligament.
• Only the mandible is connected to the skull by a mobile synovial temporomandibular joint.
• The skull bones are divided into cranial bones (surrounding the brain, 8) and facial bones (14).

Cranial Bones

• Paired: Parietal (2), Temporal (2), and Maxilla (2).

• Single: Frontal (1), Occipital (1), Sphenoid (1), and Ethmoid (1)

Facial Bones

• Paired: Zygomatic (2), Nasal (2), Lacrimal (2), Palatine (2), Inferior nasal conchae (2),

• Single: Vomer (1), Mandible (1)

Skull Regions

• Skull vault (calvarium): The upper part of the skull, forming the roof and side walls of the cranial cavity.
• Skull base: The lower part of the skull, forming the floor of the cranial cavity.

Skull Views

• Norma frontalis: Front view of the skull. Key structures include the forehead (frontal bone), orbits (eye sockets), and nasal bones.
• Norma verticalis: Top (vertical) view of the skull. Key structures include the coronal, sagittal, and lambdoid sutures, bregma, and lambda.
• Norma occipitalis: Posterior (back) view of the skull. Key structures include the external occipital protuberance, superior and inferior nuchal lines, mastoid process etc.

Important Points

• Fontanelles: Gaps in the skull of a newborn or infant. The anterior fontanelle closes around 1.5-2 years. The posterior fontanelle closes around 3-6 months.
• Sutures: Immovable joints between the skull bones.
• Foramina/fissures: Openings in the skull bones that transmit blood vessels and nerves.
• Maxilla: Facial bone forming part of the upper jaw, containing the maxillary sinus.
• Zygomatic bone: The cheek bone. It has processes that articulate with the temporal bone to form the zygomatic arch.
• Mandible: The lower jaw. It has a mental foramen, that transmits mental vessels and nerves.

Additional Structures mentioned in the images.

• Glabella: The median elevation between the superciliary arches.
• Nasion: The point where the internasal and frontonasal sutures meet.
• Frontal eminence: The prominent parts on each side of the forehead.
• Supraorbital foramen/fissure: An opening in the frontal bone that transmits supraorbital nerve and vessels.
• Infraorbital foramen: An opening of the maxillary bone, transmits infraorbital nerve.
• Mental foramen: Opening in the mandible, transmits mental nerve and vessels.
• Anterior nasal spine: A projection on the upper maxilla (along the nasal spine).
• Internal & External Occipital Crest: Features of the occipital bone.
• External occipital protuberance: A prominence of the occipital bone.

Important Islamic Arabic Inscription

• The image contains a verse in calligraphy, likely in Arabic. The inscription is:
  • Wa'u'qu kulli alaik ya'akhim
• It is likely a religious or poetic statement.