| Anterior fontanelle | |
|---|---|
 Skull at birth, showing frontal and occipital fonticuli. | |
 Human anterior fontanelle 1 month | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | fonticulus anterior |
| TA98 | A02.1.00.028 |
| TA2 | 432 |
| FMA | 75439 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
The anterior fontanelle (bregmatic fontanelle, frontal fontanelle) is the largest fontanelle, and is placed at the junction of the sagittal suture, coronal suture, and frontal suture; it is lozenge-shaped, and measures about 4 cm in its antero-posterior and 2.5 cm in its transverse diameter. The fontanelle allows the skull to deform during birth to ease its passage through the birth canal and for expansion of the brain after birth.
The anterior fontanelle typically closes between the ages of 12 and 18 months.