Skull
The skull consists of 22 bones (8 cranial, 14 facial) that protect the brain, house sensory organs, and form the face. The bones are joined primarily by sutures, with the mandible being the only movable bone.
Key Features
Articulations
- •Sutures (coronal, sagittal, lambdoid, squamous) - fibrous
- •Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) - synovial hinge/gliding
Muscle Attachments
Clinical Relevance
Skull fractures can be linear, depressed, or basilar. Fontanelles allow for brain growth and vaginal delivery. TMJ disorders cause jaw pain and dysfunction. Craniosynostosis is premature suture fusion.
Skull FAQs
Common questions about this bone
The skull contains 22 bones: 8 cranial bones (frontal, 2 parietal, 2 temporal, occipital, sphenoid, ethmoid) and 14 facial bones (2 maxillae, mandible, 2 zygomatic, 2 nasal, 2 lacrimal, 2 palatine, 2 inferior conchae, vomer).
The foramen magnum is the large opening in the occipital bone through which the spinal cord connects to the brain. It also transmits the vertebral arteries, spinal accessory nerves, and meninges.
Fontanelles are soft spots in an infant's skull where bones have not yet fused. The anterior fontanelle (bregma) is the largest and closes around 18 months. They allow skull molding during birth and brain growth.
The major sutures are: coronal (frontal-parietal), sagittal (between parietals), lambdoid (parietal-occipital), and squamous (temporal-parietal). They are fibrous joints that allow slight movement.