Frontal bone

Function

Forms the forehead, the roof of the orbits and the floor of the anterior cranial fossa that supports the frontal lobes. Its hollowed frontal sinuses lighten the skull and humidify inspired air, while the supraorbital margin shields the eye.

Landmarks

• Glabella
• Supraorbital margin and foramen
• Frontal sinuses
• Zygomatic process
• Frontal crest

Articulations (joints)

• Parietal bones (coronal suture)
• Nasal bones
• Maxillae
• Zygomatic bones
• Sphenoid bone
• Ethmoid bone
• Lacrimal bones

Clinical relevance

Frontal skull fractures can trap the underlying frontal lobe and tear the supraorbital nerve. Frontal sinusitis may spread to form a frontal abscess (Pott's puffy tumour); CSF leaks from the cribriform region present as rhinorrhoea after trauma.