Skull Bones Anatomy Quiz

Skull Bones

• The skull comprises 22 bones, joined by sutures.
• These bones protect the brain and provide attachment sites for facial and head muscles.
• The skull divides into the cranium (braincase) and facial skeleton.
• Cranial bones are primarily flat, offering strength and protection.
• Facial bones frame the face, contributing to its form.

Cranial Bones

• The cranium has eight bones: frontal, parietal (two), temporal (two), occipital, sphenoid, and ethmoid.
• The frontal bone forms the forehead and anterior-superior cranium.
• The parietal bones form the superior and lateral cranium.
• The temporal bones, inferior to the parietal, contain middle and inner ear structures, and form part of the skull base.
• The occipital bone forms the posterior and inferior cranium, connecting to the first cervical vertebra.
• The sphenoid bone is a complex, bat-shaped bone, part of the skull base and sides, anchored to multiple other bones.
• The ethmoid bone is a small, spongy bone contributing to the medial orbit walls and nasal cavity.

Facial Bones

• The facial skeleton has 14 bones: nasal (two), maxilla (two), zygomatic (two), lacrimal (two), palatine (two), inferior nasal concha (two), vomer, and mandible.
• Nasal bones form the nose bridge.
• Maxillae form the upper jaw, impacting the hard palate, orbits, and nasal cavity.
• Zygomatic bones form the cheekbones.
• Lacrimal bones contribute to the medial orbit walls.
• Palatine bones, behind the maxillae, form parts of the hard palate and nasal cavity floor.
• Inferior nasal conchae are scroll-like bones in the nasal cavity, increasing air turbulence for better smell.
• The vomer forms part of the nasal septum.
• The mandible is the only movable skull bone, forming the lower jaw.

Sutures

• Sutures are immovable joints uniting cranial bones.
• Major sutures include the coronal (frontal and parietal), sagittal (between parietal bones), lambdoid (parietal and occipital), and squamous (parietal and temporal).

Foramina

• The skull has numerous foramina (openings).
• These openings allow nerves, blood vessels, and other structures to pass between the brain and surrounding regions.
• Examples include the foramen magnum for the spinal cord, optic canal for the optic nerve, and superior orbital fissure for various nerves and vessels.

Fontanels

• Fontanels are membranous regions between unfused cranial bones in newborns.
• These spaces allow for skull compression during birth and brain growth in infancy.
• They gradually ossify into sutures.

Important anatomical features of head and neck

• The hyoid bone is a U-shaped neck bone supporting the tongue and connected to larynx and pharynx muscles.
• The vertebral column is a series of bones (vertebrae) running from the skull to the coccyx (tailbone).
• The cervical spine has seven vertebrae, and there are twelve thoracic vertebrae.