The human skull has many functions. The largest component of the skull, the neurocranium, protects and insulates the brain. It comprises the dome-shaped vault or calvaria, obviously a protective structure, and the more complex cranial base, which gives the vault a massive foundation and also houses the organs of hearing, balance, and smell. The facial skeleton, or splanchnocranium, encloses the upper airway and the mouth. Chewing, the cQ-ordinated action ofthe jaws and teeth, is a function of the facial skeleton. The orbits, formed from both calvarial and facial bones, house the eyes and...