Metopic Suture –A Study in South Indian Population

Background: The skull bones in the humans are separated from one another by sutures.The two halves of the frontal bone is separated by a suture.This suture is ossified in later stages of life.The persistence of the metopic suture in adult skull separating the frontal bone into two symmetrical halves is called as Metopism.Materials and Methods: 300 adults skull were examined in the Institute of Anatomy, Madurai.About 10 skulls showed features of metopism.Result:10 skull out of the 300 skulls examined showed features of complete metopism, thus showing an incidence of 3.3% Conclusion: Metopic sutures could mimic fractures of the skull.They also have a varied presentation.Hence a thorough knowledge about metopic suture is important in paleodemography, radiology and forensic medicine.