Facial Aspect of Cranium

Features of the anterior or facial (frontal) aspect of the cranium are the frontal and zygomatic bones, orbits, nasal region, maxillae, and mandible (Figs. 7.2 and 7.3).

The frontal bone, specifi cally its squamous (fl at) part, forms the skeleton of the forehead, articulating inferiorly with the nasal and zygomatic bones. In some adults a frontal suture persists; this remnant is called a metopic suture. It is in the middle of the glabella, the smooth, slightly depressed area between the superciliary arches. The frontal suture divides the frontal bones of the fetal cranium (see the blue box “Development of Cranium,” p. 839).

The intersection of the frontal and nasal bones is the nasion (L. nasus, nose), which in most people is related to a distinctly depressed area (bridge of nose) (Figs. 7.1A and 7.2A). The nasion is one of many craniometric points that are used radiographically in medicine (or on dry crania in physical anthropology) to make cranial measurements, compare and describe the topography of the cranium, and document abnormal variations (Fig. 7.6; Table 7.1). The frontal bone also articulates with the lacrimal, ethmoid, and sphenoids; a horizontal portion of bone (orbital part) forms both the roof of the orbit and part of the fl oor of the anterior part of the cranial cavity (Fig. 7.3).

The supra-orbital margin of the frontal bone, the angular boundary between the squamous and orbital parts, has a supra-orbital foramen (notch) in some crania for passage of the supra-orbital nerve and vessels. Just superior to the supra-orbital margin is a ridge, the superciliary arch, that extends laterally on each side from the glabella. The prominence of this ridge, deep to the eyebrows, is generally greater in males (Figs. 7.2A and 7.3).

The zygomatic bones (cheek bones, malar bones), forming the prominences of the cheeks, lie on the inferolateral sides of the orbits and rest on the maxillae. The anterolateral rims, walls, fl oor, and much of the infra-orbital margins of the orbits are formed by these quadrilateral bones. A small zygomaticofacial foramen pierces the lateral aspect of each bone (Fig. 7.3 and 7.4A). The zygomatic bones articulate with the frontal, sphenoid, and temporal bones and the maxillae.

Inferior to the nasal bones is the pear-shaped piriform aperture, the anterior nasal opening in the cranium (Figs. 7.1A and 7.2A). The bony nasal septum can be observed through this aperture, dividing the nasal cavity into right and left parts. On the lateral wall of each nasal cavity are curved bony plates, the nasal conchae (Figs. 7.2A and 7.3).

The maxillae form the upper jaw; their alveolar processes include the tooth sockets (alveoli) and constitute the supporting bone for the maxillary teeth. The two maxillae are united at the intermaxillary suture in the median plane (Fig. 7.2A). The maxillae surround most of the piriform aperture and form the infra-orbital margins medially. They have a broad connection with the zygomatic bones laterally and an infra-orbital foramen inferior to each orbit for passage of the infra-orbital nerve and vessels (Fig. 7.3).

The mandible is a U-shaped bone with an alveolar process that supports the mandibular teeth. It consists of a horizontal part, the body, and a vertical part, the ramus (Fig. 7.2B & C). Inferior to the second premolar teeth are the mental foramina for the mental nerves and vessels (Figs. 7.1A, 7.2A & B, and 7.3). The mental protuberance, forming the prominence of the chin, is a triangular bony elevation inferior to the mandibular symphysis (L. symphysis menti), the osseous union where the halves of the infantile mandible fuse (Fig. 7.2A & B).