Study of incidence of Metopic suture in adult skulls

Background: The Metopic or Frontal Suture is formed at the meeting of the two halves of Frontal bone, in the midline. At birth the bone consists of two halves, the median surface usually disappears at about 8 years of age. Metopism is totally or partially persisting suture extending from anterior angle of the bregma of frontal bone to the nasion. Materials and Method: An observational study was carried out on 50 dry adult human skulls which were used from the Department of Anatomy, Saveetha Dental College, Chennai, India, to study the incidence of metopic suture. Result: The incidence of metopic suture was none in complete metopic suture, incomplete metopic suture was 20%. Among the incomplete ones, linear was found in 6 skulls (10%). ‘V’ shaped in 1 skull (1.6%) and ‘U’ shaped type in 5 skull (8%). Conclusion: The knowledge of metopic suture is very important in radiological and orthopaedic surgeons during their practice in head injuries and it also important in practice of anthropologists and neurosurgeons.