Anatomy: Bones of the skull and their markings

Frontal bone

Forehead

Supraorbital foramina

under the eyebrow and forehead

Parietal bone (L&R)

roof portion of head, behind the frontal bone

Temporal bone (L&R)

Lower, at the base of the skull

External acoustic meatus

-cranial leading from the external ear to the eardrum, cranial like passageway

Mastoid process

-attachment of neck muscles in temporal bone, directly behind and below the ear canal

Styloid process

-attachment of neck and tongue muscles in temporal bone, just below the ear that extends downward

Mandibular fossa

smooth, concave depression in temporal bone of skull

zygomatic process

arched projection of the temporal bone that reaches the zygomatic bone to form the zygomatic arch(cheekbone)

Occipital bone

back of the head

Foramen magnum

-allows passage of the spinal cord from the brain stem to the vertebral canal, the largest opening at the base of the skull

Occipital condyles

-articulates with atlas 1 vertebrae, smooth, oval/kidney shaped bone at the base of skull, the sides of the foramen magnum

Coronal suture

-running on the frontal plane of the frontal bone, separates the frontal bone from the temporal bones, a line that runs across these bones

Sagittal suture

-left and right parietal bones meet superiorly in the midline, located down the middle of the top of the skull

Lambdoid suture

-the parietal bones meet the occipital bone posteriorly, located on the back of the skull

Squamous suture

on the side of the skull that connects the temporal bone and parietal bone laterally of the skull

Sphenoid bone

-forms base and walls of skull, holds sphenoid sinus caviry

Greater wing of sphenoid

a bony process that extends laterally, upward, and backward of the central body

Lesser wing of sphenoid

small that projects horizontally from the upper sphenoid bone

Sella turcica(pituitary gland location)

saddle shape on superior surface of the body of sphenoid bone

Optic foramina

located at the anterior medial of skull base

Ethmoid bone

-midline facial bone that separates the nasal cavity from the brain and is located at the nose and between the orbits

Perpendicular plate

-upper nasal, septum, thin, flat, vertical sheet of bone that projects downward

Cribriform plate

thin sheet of bone that sits horizontally at the midline of the anterior skull base

Mandible

Lower jaw: long, strong, allows for chewing(mastication)

Mandibular condyle

-articulates with the temporal bones to from the jaw joint

Angle of mandible

visible corner of the lower jaw

ramus

extends upwards of the posterior end of the mandibular body

Alveolar process

thick border from the upper and lower jaw, holds teeth

Mental foramina

-passageway for blood vessels and nerves to the chin and lower lip, bony openings on the surface of the body of the mandible

Mandibular foramina

openings on the internal surface of the ramus of the mandible

Vomer

-lower nasal septum, thin, flat bone along the midsagittal of the skull

Maxilla

complex facial bone that forms the upper jaw that includes: infraorbital foramina, alveolar processes, palatine process

Infraorbital foramina

bony openings located on the front surface of the maxilla

Palatine process

thick bony plate that projects from the inner surface of each maxillary bone

Zygomatic bone

small facial bone on the upper lateral region of midface

Nasal bone

two flat bones that are side by side on the upper medial region of the face

Lacrimal bone

small thin facial bone on the medial wall of eye socket, tear formation and secretion

nasolacrimal duct

a tube that carries tears and lubricating lacrimal fluid from the surface of the eye down to the nasal cavity, provides structural support

Horizontal plate

the back of the roof of the mouth

inferior nasal conchae

on lateral walls of nasal cavity

hyoid bone(tongue bone)

horseshoe shaped bone in anterior midline of the neck between chin and thyroid cartilage

-at rest lies between the base of mandible and third cervical vertebrae

Mnemonic for facial bones

My Mouth’s Palate Never Liked Zucchini In Vinegar

Mnemonic for cranial bones

STEP OF 6