The zygomatic processes are three
processes (protrusions) from other
bone
A bone is a Stiffness, rigid Organ (biology), organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red blood cell, red and white blood cells, store minerals, provid ...
s of the
skull
The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, the ...
which each
articulate with the
zygomatic bone
In the human skull, the zygomatic bone (from grc, ζῠγόν, zugón, yoke), also called cheekbone or malar bone, is a paired irregular bone which articulates with the maxilla, the temporal bone, the sphenoid bone and the frontal bone. It is si ...
. The three processes are:
* Zygomatic process of frontal bone from the
frontal bone
The frontal bone is a bone in the human skull. The bone consists of two portions.''Gray's Anatomy'' (1918) These are the vertically oriented squamous part, and the horizontally oriented orbital part, making up the bony part of the forehead, par ...
* Zygomatic process of maxilla from the
maxilla
The maxilla (plural: ''maxillae'' ) in vertebrates is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth. The t ...
(malar process)
* Zygomatic process of temporal bone from the
temporal bone
The temporal bones are situated at the sides and base of the skull, and lateral to the temporal lobes of the cerebral cortex.
The temporal bones are overlaid by the sides of the head known as the temples, and house the structures of the ears. Th ...
The term ''zygomatic'' derives from the Greek ''Ζυγόμα'', ''zygoma'', meaning "yoke". The zygomatic process is occasionally referred to as the
zygoma The term zygoma generally refers to the zygomatic bone, a bone of the human skull commonly referred to as the cheekbone or malar bone, but it may also refer to:
* The zygomatic arch, a structure in the human skull formed primarily by parts of the z ...
, but this term usually refers to the zygomatic bone or occasionally the
zygomatic arch
In anatomy, the zygomatic arch, or cheek bone, is a part of the skull formed by the zygomatic process of the temporal bone (a bone extending forward from the side of the skull, over the opening of the ear) and the temporal process of the zygomati ...
.
Zygomatic process of frontal bone
The
supraorbital margin
The brow ridge, or supraorbital ridge known as superciliary arch in medicine, is a bony ridge located above the eye sockets of all primates. In humans, the eyebrows are located on their lower margin.
Structure
The brow ridge is a nodule or crest ...
of the
frontal bone
The frontal bone is a bone in the human skull. The bone consists of two portions.''Gray's Anatomy'' (1918) These are the vertically oriented squamous part, and the horizontally oriented orbital part, making up the bony part of the forehead, par ...
ends laterally in its zygomatic process, which is strong and prominent, and articulates with the
zygomatic bone
In the human skull, the zygomatic bone (from grc, ζῠγόν, zugón, yoke), also called cheekbone or malar bone, is a paired irregular bone which articulates with the maxilla, the temporal bone, the sphenoid bone and the frontal bone. It is si ...
. The zygomatic process of the frontal bone extends from the frontal bone laterally and inferiorly.
Zygomatic process of maxilla
The zygomatic process of the maxilla
Google Books: zygomatic process of the maxilla
''Exercises in Oral Radiology and Interpretation – E-Book'' (Elsevier Health Sciences, Dec 12, 2003, by Robert P. Langlais) – Retrieved 2018-08-26 (malar process) is a rough triangular eminence, situated at the angle of separation of the anterior, zygomatic, and orbital surfaces.
* ''In front'' it forms part of the anterior surface.
* ''Behind'' it is concave, and forms part of the infratemporal fossa.
* ''Above'' it is rough and serrated for articulation with the zygomatic bone
In the human skull, the zygomatic bone (from grc, ζῠγόν, zugón, yoke), also called cheekbone or malar bone, is a paired irregular bone which articulates with the maxilla, the temporal bone, the sphenoid bone and the frontal bone. It is si ...
.
* ''Below'' it presents the prominent arched border which marks the division between the anterior and infratemporal surfaces.
Zygomatic process of temporal bone
The zygomatic process of the temporal bone is a long, arched process projecting from the lower part of the squamous portion of the temporal bone
The temporal bones are situated at the sides and base of the skull, and lateral to the temporal lobes of the cerebral cortex.
The temporal bones are overlaid by the sides of the head known as the temples, and house the structures of the ears. Th ...
. It articulates with the zygomatic bone
In the human skull, the zygomatic bone (from grc, ζῠγόν, zugón, yoke), also called cheekbone or malar bone, is a paired irregular bone which articulates with the maxilla, the temporal bone, the sphenoid bone and the frontal bone. It is si ...
.
This process is at first directed lateralward, its two surfaces looking upward and downward; it then appears as if twisted inward upon itself, and runs forward, its surfaces now looking medialward and lateralward.
The superior border is long, thin, and sharp, and serves for the attachment of the temporal fascia
The temporal fascia covers the temporalis muscle.
It is a strong, fibrous investment, covered, laterally, by the auricularis anterior and superior, by the galea aponeurotica, and by part of the orbicularis oculi.
The superficial temporal vessels ...
.
The inferior border, short, thick, and arched, has attached to it some fibers of the masseter
In human anatomy, the masseter is one of the muscles of mastication. Found only in mammals, it is particularly powerful in herbivores to facilitate chewing of plant matter. The most obvious muscle of mastication is the masseter muscle, since it ...
.
The lateral surface is convex and subcutaneous. The medial surface is concave, and affords attachment to the masseter.
The anterior end is deeply serrated and articulates with the zygomatic bone
In the human skull, the zygomatic bone (from grc, ζῠγόν, zugón, yoke), also called cheekbone or malar bone, is a paired irregular bone which articulates with the maxilla, the temporal bone, the sphenoid bone and the frontal bone. It is si ...
. The posterior end is connected to the squama by two roots, the anterior and posterior roots:
* The posterior root, a prolongation of the upper border, is strongly marked; it runs backward above the external auditory meatus
The ear canal (external acoustic meatus, external auditory meatus, EAM) is a pathway running from the outer ear to the middle ear. The adult human ear canal extends from the pinna to the eardrum and is about in length and in diameter.
Str ...
.
* The anterior root, continuous with the lower border, is short but broad and strong; it is directed medialward and ends in a rounded eminence, the articular tubercle
The articular tubercle (eminentia articularis) is a bony eminence on the temporal bone in the skull. It is a rounded eminence of the anterior root of the posterior end of the outer surface of the squama temporalis. This tubercle forms the front bou ...
(eminentia articularis).
Processes of the zygomatic bone
The zygomatic bone
In the human skull, the zygomatic bone (from grc, ζῠγόν, zugón, yoke), also called cheekbone or malar bone, is a paired irregular bone which articulates with the maxilla, the temporal bone, the sphenoid bone and the frontal bone. It is si ...
itself has four processes, namely the frontosphenoidal, orbital, maxillary and temporal processes.
The ''frontosphenoidal process'' is thick and serrated. The cranial suture
In anatomy, fibrous joints are joints connected by fibrous tissue, consisting mainly of collagen. These are fixed joints where bones are united by a layer of white fibrous tissue of varying thickness. In the skull the joints between the bones ar ...
between the frontal and zygomatic bone is found here. On its orbital surface, just within the orbital margin and about 11 mm below the zygomaticofrontal suture is a tubercle of varying size and form, but present in 95 per cent of skulls (Whitnall 43). This tubercle is not seen in the picture.
The ''orbital process
In the human skull, the zygomatic bone (from grc, ζῠγόν, zugón, yoke), also called cheekbone or malar bone, is a paired irregular bone which articulates with the maxilla, the temporal bone, the sphenoid bone and the frontal bone. It is s ...
'' is a thick, strong plate, projecting backward and medialward from the orbital margin. It is the gloomy area beneath the lac(rimal) and ethmoidal bones in the image.
The ''maxillary process'' presents a rough, triangular surface which articulates with the maxilla. It is the area below "zygomatic" in the image.
The ''temporal process'', long, narrow, and serrated, articulates with the zygomatic process of the temporal
The zygomatic processes are three processes (protrusions) from other bones of the skull which each articulate with the zygomatic bone. The three processes are:
* Zygomatic process of frontal bone from the frontal bone
* Zygomatic process of ma ...
. It is the process to the right of "zygomatic" in the image.
Additional images
File:Gray134.png, Frontal bone: outer surface
File:Slide4fen.JPG, Zygomatic process of frontal bone
File:Zygomatic process of maxilla - animation01.gif, Zygomatic process of maxilla
File:Zygomatic process of temporal bone - animation02.gif, Zygomatic process of the temporal bone
See also
* Zygomatic arch
In anatomy, the zygomatic arch, or cheek bone, is a part of the skull formed by the zygomatic process of the temporal bone (a bone extending forward from the side of the skull, over the opening of the ear) and the temporal process of the zygomati ...
* Zygomatic complex fracture
References
External links
Photo – look for #6
*
* – "Osteology of the Skull: The Maxilla"
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Skull
Bones of the head and neck