Maxilla in a Coronal Section of the Skull, Anterior View

Description

Centered in an anterior coronal section, the paired maxillae frame the nasal cavity while forming the floor of each orbit superiorly and the alveolar process inferiorly. Laterally, the infraorbital region and zygomatic process of the maxilla abut the zygomatic bone, defining the anterior facial buttress. Medially, the maxillary crests contribute to the lateral walls of the nasal cavity adjacent to the nasal septum, while the palatine processes meet in the midline to create the hard palate, continuous anteriorly with the alveolar arches that house the maxillary dental sockets. Both maxillary sinuses occupy the body of the maxilla on either side of the nasal cavity. Blue-shaded maxillary sinuses make the clinical point quickly: these air spaces sit inferior to the orbit and lateral to the nasal cavity, separated from the dental roots by a thin bony floor that varies with age and dentition. That proximity explains odontogenic maxillary sinusitis and oroantral communication after extraction of posterior maxillary teeth, and it also underlies the spread patterns of infection toward the canine fossa or, less commonly, into the orbit. Surgical planning benefits from this coronal orientation, mirroring the way CT paranasal sinus series present the ostiomeatal region and the relationship of the sinus roof to the orbital floor. A tight corridor. Use this artwork for head and neck anatomy teaching (dental, medical, and ENT curricula), for radiology correlation in paranasal sinus CT modules, or in clinical publications discussing maxillary sinusitis, Caldwell-Luc approaches, or dental implant planning near the sinus floor. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.