Final answer:
The four bones containing paranasal sinuses are the frontal, maxillary, sphenoid, and ethmoid bones. These sinuses are important for reducing skull weight and aiding in voice resonance.
Step-by-step explanation:
The paranasal sinuses are hollow, air-filled spaces within the bones of the skull that have several functions including the reduction of bone mass, which lightens the skull, and adding resonance to the voice.
These sinuses are lined with mucosa and communicate with the nasal cavity, helping to warm and humidify incoming air. There are four bones containing paranasal sinuses:
- The frontal sinus, which is the most anterior and located in the frontal bone above the eyebrows.
- The maxillary sinuses, which are the largest and located in the right and left maxillary bones below the orbits.
- The sphenoid sinus, which is the most posterior, situated in the body of the sphenoid bone under the sella turcica.
- The ethmoid air cells, which are multiple small spaces located in the right and left sides of the ethmoid bone, between the medial wall of the orbit and the lateral wall of the upper nasal cavity.