| Facial bones | |
|---|---|
 The fourteen bones that form the human facial skeleton | |
 The fourteen facial bones. (Neurocranium is shown in semi-transparent.) Blue:Vomer (1) Yellow:Maxilla (2) Purple:Mandible (1) Pink:Nasal bones (2) Red:Palatine bones (2) Bright blue:Lacrimal bones (2) Dark green:Zygomatic bones (2) Bright green:Inferior nasal concha (2) | |
| Details | |
| Part of | Face,skeleton |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | ossa faciei, ossa facialia |
| MeSH | D005147 |
| TA2 | 356 |
| Anatomical terms of bone | |
Thefacial skeleton comprises thefacial bones that may attach to build a portion of theskull.[1] The remainder of the skull is theneurocranium.
In human anatomy and development, the facial skeleton is sometimes called themembranous viscerocranium, which comprises themandible anddermatocranial elements that are not part of the braincase.
In thehuman skull, the facial skeleton consists of fourteen bones in theface:[1][2]
Elements of thecartilaginous viscerocranium (i.e.,splanchnocranial elements), such as thehyoid bone, are sometimes considered part of the facial skeleton. Theethmoid bone (or a part of it) and also thesphenoid bone are sometimes included, but otherwise considered part of theneurocranium. Because the maxillary bones are fused, they are often collectively listed as only one bone. The mandible is generally considered separately from the cranium.
The facial skeleton is composed ofdermal bone and derived from theneural crest cells (also responsible for the development of theneurocranium,teeth andadrenal medulla) or from thesclerotome, which derives from thesomite block of themesoderm. As with the neurocranium, inChondricthyes and other cartilaginous vertebrates, they are not replaced viaendochondral ossification.
Variation in craniofacial form between humans is largely due to differing patterns of biological inheritance. Cross-analysis of osteological variables and genome-wideSNPs has identified specific genes that control this craniofacial development. Of these genes,DCHS2,RUNX2,GLI3,PAX1 andPAX3 were found to determinenasal morphology, whereasEDAR impacts chin protrusion.[3]
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