Facial Bones Overview

Introduction

• Total of 22 skull bones: 8 cranial and 14 facial.
• Focus on facial bones.
• Mnemonic for facial bones: My Mandible Chews Nine Very Large Zucchini Pizzas.
  • Maxilla, Mandible, Concha, Nasal, Vomer, Lacrimal, Zygomatic, Palatine.

Maxilla

• Pair of bones: Fused together.
• Forms front of the face, nasal passageway, hard palate, part of orbits.
• Features:
  • Infraorbital Foramen: Passage for infraorbital artery, vein, nerve; site for nerve block.
  • Incisive Foramen: Passage for sphenopalatine artery, nasopalatine nerves; behind incisors.
  • Maxillary Sinuses: Pair of sinuses within maxillary bones.

Mandible

• Jaw bone; articulates with temporal bone.
• Features:
  • Mental Foramen: Passage for inferior alveolar nerve terminal branches; nerve block site.
  • Coronoid Process: Attachment for temporal muscle.
  • Condylar Process: Articulation with temporal bones; jaw movement.
  • Mandibular Foramen: Passage for inferior alveolar nerve, artery, vein; nerve block site.

Inferior Nasal Concha

• Pair of bones: Separate from superior and middle conchae which are part of ethmoid bone.

Nasal

• Pair of bones: Form bony part of the nose bridge. Mostly cartilage.

Vomer

• Unpaired bone: Forms inferior part of nasal septum.
• Articulates with maxillary, palatine, ethmoid, sphenoid bones.

Lacrimal

• Smallest bones in the skull; pair.
• Part of medial orbit; involved in tear production.

Zygomatic

• Pair of bones: Forms part of orbit and cheekbone.
• Temporal Process: Joins with temporal bone to form zygomatic arch (cheekbone).

Palatine

• Pair of bones: Forms part of orbits, nasal, oral cavities.
• Contributes to posterior mouth roof.

Conclusion

• Overview of facial bones and their features.
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