hodeskalle

Hodeskalle, or skull, refers to the bony structure that forms the head in humans. It consists of two main parts: the neurocranium, which encloses the brain, and the viscerocranium, which makes up the face. The adult human skull typically comprises 22 bones: eight cranial bones and fourteen facial bones, with the mandible being the only movable bone of the skull.

The cranial bones are the frontal, paired parietal, paired temporal, occipital, sphenoid, and ethmoid. The facial bones include the nasal, maxillae, zygomatic, palatine, lacrimal, inferior nasal concha, vomer, and mandible. These bones are joined by sutures, such as the coronal, sagittal, lambdoid, and squamous sutures, which provide a degree of skull flexibility in infancy and young adulthood. In infants, fontanelles—soft spots between skull bones—allow for growth of the brain and skull during early development.

Developmentally, most skull bones form through intramembranous ossification, while parts of the skull base form via endochondral ossification. Growth of the skull continues in concert with brain development, with sutures gradually fusing with age. The skull also houses openings called foramina and canals that transmit nerves and blood vessels, and it protects the brain, sensory organs, and upper digestive and respiratory pathways.

Clinically, the skull is evaluated in cases of head injury, congenital anomalies, and cranial deformities. In anthropology and forensics, skull morphology aids in age estimation, ancestry assessment, and identification. Cultural practices in some societies include historical cranial modification, which leaves lasting skeletal traces.