Nasal Bone

Key Features & Anatomical Relations

The nasal bones are a pair of small, quadrilateral bones found along the anterior aspect of the cranium. They are classified as flat bones and contribute to the formation of the bridge of the nose, the roof of the nasal cavity, and the viscerocranium. Each nasal bone includes the following bony features:

- surfaces: internal and external surfaces, and superior, inferior, medial, and lateral borders;

- landmarks: crest and ethmoid groove of nasal bone.

More information regarding these bony features can be found in the Surfaces and Landmarks tabs for this bone.

On its corresponding side, each nasal bone is located:

- anterior to the ethmoid bone;

- inferior to the frontal bone;

- medial to a maxilla.

Each nasal bone articulates with the:

- opposite nasal bone at the internasal suture;

- frontal bone at the frontonasal suture;

- maxilla at a nasomaxillary suture;

- ethmoid bone.

Ossification

Ossification of each nasal bone occurs at one ossification center, which appears in utero during the third month (Standring, 2016).

Variations

In some individuals;

- the right and left nasal bones may be asymmetrical;

- the nasal bones may be present as more than two bones, or may present as a single, unpaired bone (Tubbs, Shoja and Loukas, 2016).

Surface Anatomy

Regarding surface anatomy, the external surface of the nasal bone is subcutaneous and can be easily palpated.

List of Clinical Correlates

- Fracture of nasal bone

- Dislocation of nasal bone

References

Standring, S. (2016) Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. Gray's Anatomy Series 41st edn.: Elsevier Limited.

Tubbs, R. S., Shoja, M. M. and Loukas, M. (2016) Bergman's Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Human Anatomic Variation. Wiley.