Anatomy: Skeletal Landmarks: Skull

Frontal Bone: Anterior; top and front part of the skull

Coronal Suture: The connection between the frontal bone and parietal bone (between the front and the back)

Suture: where two bones connect that do not move.

Frontal Squama: middle, front, flat part of the frontal bone

Squama: a flat part of a bone

Supraorbital Margin: around the top of the eye socket; edge; eyebrow bone

Margin: edge

Supraorbital Foramen: above the eye socket; a hole that is usually circular.

Supra-: above

Frontal Sinuses: lower forehead, above the nose, in between eyebrows. (you cannot see on the skull)

Sinus: an empty space surrounded by bone and tissue.

Parietal Bone: superior posterior; on top and behind the frontal bone but before the occipital bone.

Lambdoid suture: suture separating parietal and occipital bone. (looks like a lambda)

Lambda: upside-down y shape

Sagittal suture: mid-sagittal suture separating the left and the right of the parietal bone.

squamous suture: suture separating the parietal and temporal bones.

Occipital Bone: the back of the head; inferior, posterior. it has a hole in the bottom that the spinal cord goes through (foramen magnum).

Foramen magnum: a hole in the bottom of the occipital bone for the spinal cord.

Occipital Condyles: bumps on the sides of the foramen magnum

Condyle: round bump that is for movement.

External Occipital Protuberance: bump on the middle back of the head.

Protuberance: bump

Temporal Bone: The bones on the side of the head

Temporal Squama: the flat part of the temporal bone

Zygomatic Process: the part that connects the temporal bone to the zygomatic bone

Zygomatic Arch: It looks like a handle off of the side of the head; it includes temporal bone, zygomatic process, and maxilla; it sticks out.

Petrous Portion (or petrous part): Diagonal rigid bone inside the top of the skull. (Think Cayman Islands Hell)

Portion: Part

Petrous: rock-like

Carotid foramen: Left and right of the foramen magnum the circular hold closer to the jaw

Jugular foramen: left and right of the foramen magnum; peanut (in shell shaped); behind the Carotid Foramen

Foramen Lacerum: two holes that are close together in front of the carotid foramen

Mandibular Fossa: a dent that the mandible fits into; it is in front of the ear lobe.

Fossa: concave area (dent)

Mastoid Portion: bump behind ear hole

Mastoid process: below the mastoid portion that is small, circular, and pinchable.

-oid: Like

Process: A part that sticks out and is pinch-able.

Mastoid Foramen: a hole behind the mastoid portion

External Auditory Meatus (canal): the ear hole; it is in between the mastoid process and the zygomatic process

Meatus: A hole that leads to a canal.

Internal Auditory Meatus: the back side of the petrous portion that runs into the ear hole

Styloid Process: it looks like fangs on the inside of the mastoid process

Styloid: Stylus-like

Sphenoid Bone: well surrounded by other bones; looks like a bat (when removed).

Body: middle of the skull, view of the top of the skull; above petrous portion

Body: Big heavy part

Greater Wings: behind the eye socket; concave.

Lesser wings: little shelf above greater wings

Sella Turcica: In between the two sides of the greater wings.

Sella Turcica: Turkish Saddle (imagine someone sitting down and putting their feet through foramen laserum

Sphenoid Sinus: empty space inside the sphenoid bone.

Pterygoid Process: extends down and towards molars.

Optic Foramen: Inside of eye socket (circular) through lesser wings.

Superior Orbital Fissure: the crack beside the optic foramen

Fissure: A crack

Foramen Roundum: a round hole below the superior orbital fissure

Forman Ovale: Oval-shaped hole that is about an inch behind the foramen rotundum

Foramen Spinosum: a small hole that is next to the foramen ovale.

Ethmoid Bone: middle of the nose; nose bone between the eyes.

Cribriform Plate: to the left and right of the Crista Galli (concave)

Crista Galli: The sharp part in front of the “bat” sticks up in between the Cribiform Plate.

Perpendicular Plate: extending vertically from the Cribiform Plate.

Lateral Masses: the two flaps on each side of the Perpendicular Plate.

Ethmoid Sinuses: Holes in the Ethmoid Bone

Superior and Middle Turbinates (Nasal Conchae): one notch on both sides of the nose that looks like the superior Turbinates but is the Middle Turbinates.

Facial Bones:

Nasal Bones: two bones that make up the top portion of your nose that do not connect in the middle. (bridge of your nose)

Maxilla: the upper jaw and the bottom part of the eye socket

Alveolar Process: the place where the teeth connect to the top jaw.

Infraorbital Foramen: a hole below the eye socket (cheek area)

Maxillary Sinus: the sinus where the Infraorbital Foramen leads

Palatine Process: the front of the roof of the mouth

Inferior Orbital Fissure: A teardrop-shaped crack in the lower eye socket

Zygomatic Bone (2 malars): cheekbone and outer part of the eye socket

Temporal Process: connects the Zygomatic bone to the temporal bone.

Mandible: The lower jaw.

Body: the bottom of the mandible

Rami: The part that runs up and down the sides of the Mandible.

Angle: The jawline (where the jaw changes directions)

Condylar Process: where the Mandible connects to the upper jaw.

Coronoid Process: where the jaw moves up and down (with assistance from muscles)

Mandibular Notch: A dent that is between the coronoid process and the condylar process.

Alveolar Process: where the teeth connect to the lower jaw.

Mental Foramen: small holes (2) in the side of the chin (off center not side of the face)

Lacrimal Bone: triangle portion between the side of the nose and eye socket.

Palatine Bone: a boxy “U”-shaped bone behind the palatine process. The back of the roof of the mouth.

Horizontal Plates: where the pterygoid process connects

Inferior Turbinates (nasal conchae): the bottom notches inside the nose underneath the Middle Turbinates.

Vomer: a flat triangular bone that divides the nose; the point of the Vomer sticks out of the lower jaw.