Conditions and Disorders

What are the common conditions and disorders that affect the skull?

Your skull is prone to a wide range of conditions, and many of them are congenital. That means you have the condition when you’re born. Examples of congenital skull conditions include:

• Anencephaly

• Apert syndrome

• Carpenter syndrome

• Cleidocranial dysplasia

• Craniosynostosis

• Crouzon syndrome

• Encephalocele

• Goldenhar syndrome

• Hemifacial microsmia

• Microcephaly

• Micrognathia

• Pfeiffer syndrome

• Prognathism

• Scaphocephaly

There are also several conditions and injuries that you can develop at any time in life that affect your skull. Examples include:

• Temporomandibular joint disorders

• Jaw cysts and tumors, some of which can be jaw cancer

• Dental trauma, including a dislocated jaw or broken jaw

• Skull fractures and/or related concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)

Common signs or symptoms of skull conditions

• The common signs and symptoms of skull conditions vary widely. Congenital skull conditions usually cause differences in skull appearance and/or development. That can cause distinctive facial or head appearances.

• Non-congenital skull conditions can cause the following:

• Head pain, especially headaches

• Jaw popping or jaw pain

• Brain symptoms, like confusion or coma

• Bruising, often with specific patterns like raccoon eyes (a key sign of a skull fracture)

Common tests to check the skull

• Diagnostic imaging tests are the main way to diagnose skull conditions. These include:

• X-rays, including dental x-rays

• CT scans

• MRI