OSTEOLOGY OF THE SKULL

Question 1

What are the two components of the skull?

Answer 1

• The cranium
• The mandible

Question 2

How many bones is the skull made from?

Answer 2

22 bones

Question 3

What are bones in the skull joined together by?

Answer 3

Fibrous joints called sutures. They are also known as sympathises

Question 4

What is the name of the bilateral moveable joint in the skull?

Answer 4

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ)

Question 5

What is the cranium and what gross components can it be divided into?

Answer 5

The cranium is the skeleton of the head minus the mandible. It is divisible into the
- Neurocranium - houses the brain
- Viscerocranium - the facial skeleton

Question 6

What are the 3 further components that the cranium can be divided into?

Answer 6

• The calvaria - the top part of the skull
• The skull base which is the base of the calvaria
• The facial skeleton - made from the rest of the cranial skeleton that isn’t part of the neurocranium

Question 7

Which of the 3 further components of the cranium houses the brain?

Answer 7

The calvaria

Question 8

What is another name for the skull base?

Answer 8

The chondrocranium

Question 9

Why are the edges of sutures serrated?

Answer 9

• Allows them to interlock firmly
• Makes them less likely to be easily unlocked by force

Question 10

What are 3 functions of the skull

Answer 10

• Encloses and protects
• Creates a specialised environment
• Act as a site for attachment of muscles and meninges

Question 11

What type of bones is the skull made from?

Answer 11

Flat bones