Synonyms: viscerocranium, splanchnocranium
German: Viszerokranium, Gesichtsschädel
The facial skeleton together with the neurocranium build the human skull. It consist of 16 bones which give shape to the face. The facial skeleton house and protect the sense organs of sight, smell and taste.
The facial skeleton develop from the pharyngeal arches.
The facial skeleton consits of the following bones:
The facial skeleton is located anterioinferiorly to the neurocranium. In humans the border between viscerocranium and neurocranium pass from the superior border of the orbit (superciliary arches) to the superior border of the external acoustic meatus. The facial bones form the orbit, the nasal cavity and the oral cavity. All bones which belong to the facial skeleton are connected by sutures except of the mandible which is the only movable part of the whole skull. The mandible is connected to the temporal bone by the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
Tags: Skull
This page was last edited on 11 July 2016, at 14:58.
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