Anatomically, it must be emphasized that this skull model offers an educational opportunity to both study the muscles of mastication and demonstrate their function. The masticatory muscles are:
M. masseter
M. temporalis
Lateral pterygoid muscle
M. pterygoid medialis
The 4 masticatory muscles are represented on both sides of the skull model by means of elastic bands, which are also named by the attachments on the skull (see the pictures on the left). Read more about the movement below.
Generally speaking, the human skull can be divided into 2 parts, and the skull model therefore shows the following:
1) The braincase (neurocranium), which is intended to enclose the brain and the hearing-equilibrium organ
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 included
The braincase consists of 8 bones. There are 4 unpaired (the frontal, sphenoid, sphenoid and occipital bones) and 2 paired (the occipital and temporal bones). All these bones as well as sutures can be identified on the skull model.
The facial skeleton includes 6 paired bones (the maxilla, palatine, cheekbone, nasal bone, lacrimal bone, and lower conchbone) and 3 unpaired bones called the mandible, the ploughshare, and the zygomatic bone (some do not count the zygomatic bone as part of the facial skeleton). All these bones and sutures can also be identified on the skull model. NB: The hyoid bone is also included in the facial skeleton but cannot be seen on this skull model.
The human skull contains many holes and channels containing vessels and nerves. Overall, there are connections between the braincase and the neck, to and from the eye socket, to and from the pterygo-palatine fossa and to and from the nasal cavity.
This skull model shows many of the most important holes and canals, but not all. Furthermore, the level of detail on the bones is good. As for "osseous landmarks" such as the processus styloideus, many of the most important are seen, while some minor participants are omitted.
