Question

Number of cranial bones present in human skull is
A. 8
B.10
C. 12
D. 16

Answer 1

Human skull just like a human skeleton is made of bones. It protects the head; a vital organ from injuries and shock. It also supports the vertebral column and the face.

Complete answer:
Human skull consists of two regions namely the neurocranium and viscerocranium. The former is a protective part and protects the brain and brainstem. The latter supports the face. All skull bones are joined together by sutures except the mandible.
Sutures are the joints between bones of the cranium. A developed adult human skull is composed of twenty two bones that are divided into two parts of neurocranium and viscerocranium. The nerves connected to the brain are called cranial nerves. There are twelve cranial nerves with different structure and function.
Basically, there are two types of cranium:
i) Flat bones
ii)Irregular bones
Out of the twenty two bones, eight are cranial bones, six auditory ossicles, fourteen facial bones and the hyoid bone. The eight cranial bones contain one ethmoid bone, one frontal bone, one occipital bone, two parietal bones, one sphenoid bone and two temporal bones. Sometimes the cranial bones are affected by skull fracture.

So, the correct answer is option ‘A’..

Note: There is a condition called craniosynostosis where infants are born with unusually shaped skull and facial features. It requires surgical treatment. Skull bones are divided into cranial bones, facial bones and auditory ossicles.