Final answer:
Fractures to the orbital floor can result in serious complications, including bleeding inside the skull and potential brain injury. Different types of skull fractures can occur, such as linear, comminuted, depressed, and contrecoup fractures. Basilar fractures of the occipital bone at the base of the skull can be life threatening.
Step-by-step explanation:
Fractures to the orbital floor, which is formed by the maxilla, palatine bone, and a small contribution from the zygomatic bone, can result in serious complications. Direct frontal trauma to the orbit can cause fractures, leading to bleeding inside the skull and potential injury to the brain. The most common type of skull fracture is linear, where fracture lines radiate from the point of impact, but other types, such as comminuted and depressed fractures, can also occur. Additionally, contrecoup fractures can happen, where the bone at the point of impact remains intact, but a fracture occurs on the opposite side of the skull. Fractures of the occipital bone at the base of the skull, known as basilar fractures, can be life threatening as they can damage the carotid canal artery.