PalateDr. Deepak K Gupta

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Introduction

• Palate: roof of the oral cavity. It has two parts

– an anterior hard palate

– a posterior soft palate

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Hard palate• Separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavities

• Consists of a bony plate covered above and below by mucosa

– above, it is covered by respiratory mucosa and forms the floor of the nasal cavities

– below, it is covered by a tightly bound layer of oral mucosa and forms much of the roof of the oral cavity

• Palatine processes of the maxillae form the anterior 3/4 of the hard palate

• Horizontal plates of the palatine bones form the posterior 1/4

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Hard palate

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Hard palate• The upper alveolar arch

borders the hard palate anteriorly and laterally

• Posteriorly, the hard palate is continuous with the soft palate.

• Posteriorly it has a greater and lesser palatine foramina

• Deep to the mucous membrane of the hard palate are numerous mucus secreting glands called palatal glandswww.facebook.com/notesdental

Hard palate

1. Incisive papilla: ends anteriorly in a small oval elevation over incisive fossa

2. Palatine Rugae: The mucosa of the hard palate possesses numerous transverse palatine folds.

3. Mid-Palatine raphe: a median longitudinal ridge

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Palate

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SOFT PALATE• Posterosuperior border of the

oral cavity• Separates the oral cavity from

the nasopharynx• Margins of Soft Palate

– Anteriorly: continuous with the hard palate at the vibrating line

– Posterolaterally: forms the superior portion of the palatoglossal and palatopharyngeal folds

– Posteriorly: the uvula hangs in the center of the posterior free margin

• The thick palatine aponeurosisforms the foundation of the soft palate

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Muscles of Soft Palate

• It helps close off the nasopharynx during deglutition by forming a seal at the fold of Passavant

• The soft palate is composed of 5 muscles:– Musculus uvulae

– Tensor veli palatini

– Levator veli palatini

– Palatopharyngeus

– Palatoglossus

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Muscles of Soft Palate

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Muscles of Soft Palate

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Tensor veli palatini• Origin

– Sphenoid bone (scaphoid fossa of pterygoid process and medial aspect of the spine);

– It is also connected cartilaginous part of pharyngotympanic(auditory) tube

• Insertion– Palatine aponeurosis and palatine bone (horizontal plate) via a

tendon that is redirected medially by the pterygoid hamulus

• Nerve Supply– N. to medial pterygoid (CN V3)

• Action– Bilaterally: Tenses anterior portion of the soft palate and flattens

its arch, separating the nasopharynx from the oropharynx. – Opens pharyngotympanic (auditory) tube.– Unilaterally: Deviates soft palate laterally

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Levator veli palatini

• Origin– Vaginal process and petrous part of temporal bone (via a

tendon, anterior to the carotid canal); – it is also connected to the inferior portion of the cartilaginous

pharyngotympanic tube

• Insertion– Palatine aponeurosis (the two levators combine to form a

muscular sling)

• Nerve Supply– Vagus n. (CN X) via pharyngeal plexus

• Action– Bilaterally: Pulls the posterior portion of the soft palate

superoposteriorly, separating the nasopharynx from the oropharynx.

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Musculus uvulae

• Orgin

– Palatine bone (posterior nasal spine) and palatine aponeurosis (superior surface)

• Insertion : Mucosa of the uvula

• Nerve Supply: Vagus n. (CN X) via pharyngeal plexus

• Action

– Pulls the uvula posterosuperiorly, separating the nasopharynx from the oropharynx.

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Palatoglossus

• Forms palatoglossal arch

• Origin: Palatine aponeurosis (oral surface)

• Insertion: Lateral tongue to dorsum or intrinsic transverse muscle

• Nerve Supply: Vagus n. (CN X) via pharyngeal plexus

• Action: Pulls the root of the tongue superiorly and approximates the palatoglossal arch, separating the oral cavity from the oropharynx.

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Palatopharyngeus

• Forms palatopharyngeal arch

• Origin: Palatine aponeurosis (superior surface) and posterior border of palatine bone

• Insertion: Thyroid cartilage (posterior border) or lateral pharynx

• Nerve Supply: Vagus n. (CN X) via pharyngeal plexus

• Action : Elevates the pharynx anteromediallybilaterally

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Vessels of Palate• Arteries

– greater palatine branch of the maxillary artery

– the ascending palatine branch of the facial artery

– the palatine branch of the ascending pharyngeal artery

• Veins– generally follow the arteries

– Ultimately drain into the pterygoid plexus ofveins in the infratemporal fossa

– Or a network of veins associated with the palatine tonsil - drain into the pharyngeal plexus of veins or directly into the facial vein

• Lymphatics: drain into deep cervical nodeswww.facebook.com/notesdental

Vessels of Palate

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Nerve Supply

• Supplied by the greater and lesser palatine nerves and the nasopalatine nerve– General sensory fibers carried in all these nerves

originate in the pterygopalatine fossa from the maxillary nerve [V2]

• Deep petrosal nerve (post ganglionicsympathetic) from T1 and Greater petrosal Nerve(parasympathetic and special sensory – taste) from VII

• Joins to form Nerve of Pterygoid canal which supplies to palate via pterygopalatine ganglion

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Nerve Supply

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References

• Grays Anatomy for Students 2nd Edition

• Head and Neck Anatomy for Dental Medicine

• Head, Neck and Dental Anatomy, 4th Edition

• Netter’s Head and Neck Anatomy for Dentistry, 2nd Edition Neil S norton

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