View source for Nasal bone

{{Short description|Two bones in the bridge of the human nose}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox bone
| Name          = Nasal  bone
| Latin         = os nasale
| Image         = illu_facial_bones.jpg
| Caption       = Nasal bone visible at center, in dark green.
| Image2        = Gray852.png
| Caption2      = [[Cartilages of the nose]]. Side view. (Nasal bone visible at upper left.)
| Articulations =
}} 

The '''nasal bones''' are two small oblong [[bone]]s, varying in size and form in different individuals; they are placed side by side at the middle and upper part of the [[face]] and by their junction, form the [[nasal bridge|bridge]] of the upper one third of the [[nose]].

Each has two surfaces and four borders.

==Structure==
There is heavy [[Anatomical variation|variation]] in the structure of the nasal bones, accounting for the differences in sizes and shapes of the nose seen across different people. Angles, shapes, and configurations of both the bone and cartilage are heavily varied between individuals. Broadly, most nasal bones can be categorized as "V-shaped" or "S-shaped" but these are not [[Scientific terminology|scientific]] or medical categorizations. When viewing [[anatomical drawings]] of these bones, consider that they are unlikely to be accurate for a majority of people.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lazovic |first1=Goran D. |last2=Daniel |first2=Rollin K. |last3=Janosevic |first3=Ljiljana B. |last4=Kosanovic |first4=Rade M. |last5=Colic |first5=Miodrag M. |last6=Kosins |first6=Aaron M. |date=2015-03-01 |title=Rhinoplasty: The Nasal Bones – Anatomy and Analysis |url=https://academic.oup.com/asj/article/35/3/255/200697 |journal=Aesthetic Surgery Journal |language=en |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=255–263 |doi=10.1093/asj/sju050 |pmid=25805278 |issn=1527-330X}}</ref>

The two nasal bones are joined at the midline '''internasal suture''' and make up the [[nasal bridge|bridge of the nose]].

=== Surfaces ===
The ''outer surface'' is [[wikt:concavo-convex|concavo-convex]] from above downward, convex from side to side; it is covered by the [[Procerus muscle|procerus]] and [[Nasalis muscle|nasalis]] muscles, and perforated about its center by the '''nasal foramen''', a small passageway for the transmission of a small [[vein]] from the overlying soft tissues.

The ''inner surface'' is concave from side to side, and is traversed from above downward, by a groove for the passage of a branch of the [[nasociliary nerve]].

=== Articulations ===
The nasal articulates with four bones: two of the cranium, the [[Frontal bone|frontal]] and [[ethmoid]], and two of the face, the opposite nasal and the [[maxilla]].

==Other animals==
In primitive [[Osteichthyes|bony fish]] and [[tetrapod]]s, the nasal bones are the most anterior of a set of four paired bones forming the [[skull roof|roof of the skull]], being followed in sequence by the frontals, the [[parietal bone|parietal]]s, and the [[Postparietal|postparietals]]. Their form in living species is highly variable, depending on the shape of the head, but they generally form the roof of the snout or beak, running from the nostrils to a position short of the orbits. In most animals, they are generally therefore proportionally larger than in humans or great apes, because of the shortened faces of the latter. [[Turtle]]s, unusually, lack nasal bones, with the [[prefrontal bone]]s of the orbit reaching all the way to the nostrils.<ref name=VB>{{cite book |author=Romer, Alfred Sherwood|author2=Parsons, Thomas S.|year=1977 |title=The Vertebrate Body |publisher=Holt-Saunders International |location= Philadelphia, PA|pages= 217–241|isbn= 0-03-910284-X}}</ref>

==Additional images==
<gallery>
Gray153.png|Lateral wall of nasal cavity, showing ethmoid bone in position.
Gray155.png|Right nasal bone. Outer surface.
Gray156.png|Right nasal bone. Inner surface.
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Anatomy-terms}}
*[[Vomer]]
*[[Osteology]]

==References==
* {{Gray's}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Nasal bones}}
* {{SUNYAnatomyFigs|22|02|07}}—"Anterior view of skull."
* {{SUNYAnatomyLabs|29|st|02|06}}—"Orbits and Eye: Bones"
* {{SUNYAnatomyFigs|33|01|03}}—"The bones of the lateral nasal wall."
* {{cite web|url=http://www.tk.de/rochelexikon/pics/s34256.000-1.html|title=Anatomy diagram: 34256.000-1|work= Roche Lexicon – illustrated navigator|publisher= Elsevier|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101000000/http://www.tk.de/rochelexikon/pics/s34256.000-1.html|archive-date=2014-01-01}}

{{Facial bones}}
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[[Category:Bones of the head and neck]]
[[Category:Facial features]]
[[Category:Nose]]
[[Category:Flat bones]]
[[Category:Otorhinolaryngology]]