Human Osteology for Dental Students Inderbir Singh
INDEX
×
Chapter Notes

Save Clear


Introduction to the Human Skull1

The human skeleton may be divided into (a) the axial skeleton (consisting of the bones of the head, neck, and trunk; and (b) the appendicular skeleton consisting of the bones of the limbs.
 
A PRELIMINARY LOOK AT THE SKULL
The skeleton of the head is called the skull. It is seen from the lateral side (Fig. 1.1) and from above (Fig. 1.2).
zoom view
Fig. 1.1: Skull seen from the right side
2
zoom view
Fig. 1.2: Skull seen from above
The skull contains a large cranial cavity in which the brain is lodged. Just below the forehead the skull shows two large depressions, the right and left orbits, in which the eyes are lodged. In the region of the nose and mouth there are apertures that lead to the interior of the skull.
The skull is made up of a large number of bones that are firmly joined together. Some of these are as follows. In the region of the forehead there is the frontal bone. At the back of the head (also called the occiput) there is the occipital bone. The top of the skull, and parts of its side walls, are formed mainly by the right and left parietal bones. The region of the head just above the ears is referred to as the temple, and the bone here is the temporal bone (right or left). The bone that forms the upper jaw, and bears the upper teeth, is the maxilla. The prominence of the cheek is formed by the zygomatic bone. In the floor of the cranial cavity there is an unpaired bone called the sphenoid bone. The bone of the lower jaw is called the mandible. It is separate from the rest of the skull. In addition to these large bones, there are several smaller ones that will be identified when we take up the study of the skull in detail.