University of Jordan Faculty Of Medicine Skull Anatomy Quiz

Skull Overview

• The skull is formed of 14 bones (6 single and 8 paired) that articulate with each other by sutures.
• The skull is studied in six views, each called a norma (frontalis, verticalis, occipitalis, lateralis, basalis, and basalis interna).

Norma Frontalis

• Bones: frontal bone, nasal bones, zygomatic bone, and maxilla.
• Apertures: orbital apertures and anterior nasal aperture.
• Features: supraciliary arch, supraorbital foramen, and infraorbital foramen.

Maxilla

• Features: alveolar process, frontal process, and zygomatic process.
• Forms the upper jaw with its alveolar arch.

Teeth

• Total number of teeth: 32 in both jaws.
• Distribution: 8 incisors, 4 canines, 8 premolars, 8 molars, and 4 third molars.

Zygomatic Bone

• Features: frontal process and maxillary process.

Norma Verticalis

• Presents: 4 bones (frontal, 2 parietal, and occipital) and 3 sutures (coronal, sagittal, and lambdoid).
• Meeting points: bregma (anterior fontanelle) and lambda (posterior fontanelle).
• Fontanelles: anterior (closes 1.5-2 years after birth) and posterior (closes 3-6 months after birth).

Norma Occipitalis

• Features: external occipital protuberance, external occipital crest, and superior nuchal lines.

Norma Lateralis

• Presents: parietal, frontal, greater wing of sphenoid, temporal, zygomatic, occipital, maxilla, and mandible bones.

Temporal Bone

• Composed of 4 parts: squamous, mastoid, tympanic, and petrous.
• Features: temporal lines, temporal fossa, zygomatic arch, external auditory meatus, suprameatal triangle, and infratemporal fossa.

Zygomatic Arch

• Formed by the temporal process of the zygomatic bone and the zygomatic process of the temporal bone.
• Posterior root passes above the external auditory meatus and joins the supramastoid crest.