Skull model 3-part didactically painted

The model is cast in a size that corresponds to an adult. The top of the skull can be removed so that the base of the skull (basis cranii interna) can be studied. It is held in place with small practical metal hooks and small plastic pins (the plastic pins are only visible when the top is removed).

Anatomically, the human skull can be divided into 2 parts and the skull model therefore shows the following:

1) The braincase (neurocranium) which encloses the brain and the organ of hearing and balance.

2) The facial skeleton (viscerocranium) which surrounds the nasal cavity and forms the tooth-bearing framework around the oral cavity. The 32 teeth are also visible.

The braincase consists of eight bones – four unpaired (frontal, ethmoid, sphenoid and occipital bones) and two paired (parietal and temporal bones). All of these bones and their sutures can be identified on the model.

The facial skeleton consists of six paired bones (maxilla, palate, zygomatic, nasal and lacrimal bones and the inferior nasal concha), as well as three unpaired bones (mandible, ethmoid and pluvial bones). All of these bones and their sutures can also be seen on the skull model. NOTE: The hyoid bone is also part of the facial skeleton but cannot be seen on this model.

The paired bones are the same color.

A skull has many holes and channels that contain blood vessels and nerves. Many of the most important holes and channels can be seen on this model, but not all. Other important anatomical “landmarks” such as the styloid process are visible, but some minor details are not.

In terms of movement, it is only relevant to mention the temporomandibular joint. The lower jaw bone (os mandibularis) is held in place by a relatively long metal spring that is attached to the lower and upper jaw bones via screws. Large rubber pieces are mounted on the mandibular joint’s joint sockets (fossa mandibularis), which hold the joint head (caput mandible) as if in a “rubber bowl” – see pictures on the left.

The model’s temporomandibular joints are not particularly mobile. The lower jaw can be moved up and down and to the sides, but the sliding joint mechanism that the temporomandibular joint normally has cannot be demonstrated.

The lower jaw can be detached from the rest of the skull if at least one of the screws is unscrewed with a screwdriver.

Clinically, the skull model is perfect for understanding the individual cranial bones and how they fit in relation to each other. The model is also good to use for understanding diseases and conditions that can occur in this part of the skeleton.