Growth in the external cranial base evaluated on human dry skulls, using nerve canal openings as references.

The purpose of this investigation was to measure on human dry skulls the postnatal widening and lengthening of the external cranial base, including the hard palate, using nerve canal openings as references. Forty-five Indian dry skulls were examined, 36 from children and 9 from adults. The age evaluation was made on the basis of dental development. The dimensions of the external cranial base were determined by direct measurements on the skulls and by measurements from photographs of the skulls. The study showed that growth in width of the external cranial base followed two distinct patterns. The two regions represent different embryologic developmental fields. The study points out that different growth patterns in these fields ought to be taken into account in future investigations of normal and pathologic craniofacial growth.