Anatomy and Innervation of the Palate Flashcards
Describe the hard palate location and what it is bounded by:
Soft palate:
Hard palate: located anteriorly, bounded by dentition
Soft palate: sits posteriorly, composed of soft tissue mucosa overlying musculature
How many bones make up the hard palate?
Name these bones:
Which feature of these bones are part of the palate?
- 4 bones
- Right and left maxilla
- Right and left palatine bones
- Palatine processes of maxillae
- Horizontal plates of palatine bones
What type of epthelium makes up:
a) the hard palate
b) the soft palate
a) hard palate: keratinised stratified squamous epithelium, which is tough, thick and protective
b) soft palate: non-keratinised stratified squamous epithelium, less protective as does not come up against as much insult as hard palate
Label diagram and give a brief description of each:
Incisive papilla - mound of mucosa overlying incisive canal
Palatal rugae - ridges, mechanical breakdown of food
Palatine raphe - zipping together of R and L structures - development of palatal shelf
What is a cleft palate?
List some complications associated with a cleft palate:
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- embryological defect, with or without lip involvement, due to failure of lateral palatine processes to meet and fuse
Complications include:
- speech
- dental health
- feeding
- hearing
What do all of these nerves have in common?
They are all branches of the maxillary division of the trigeminal nerve.
Where does the nasopalatine nerve pass through and what does it supply?
The nasopalatine nerve passes through the incisive foramen and supplies palatal gingivae of anterior teeth, and mucosa of the anterior palate
Describe the pathway of lymphatic drainage for the following areas:
a) anterior part of hard palate:
b) remainder of hard palate and soft palate:
a) submandibular nodes to deep cervical nodes
b) retropharyngeal nodes to deep cervical nodes OR directly to deep cervical nodes
Where does the palatine tonsil lie?
- Between the two arches
What is the function of:
a) levator veli palatini
b) tensor veli palatini
c) palatoglossus
Where are the following muscles:
a) palatopharyngeus
b) musculus uvulae
a) levator veli palatini - elevates the palate
b) tensor veli palatini - tenses palate
c) palatoglossus - palate towards tongue
a) palatopharyngeus - a longitudinal muscle of the pharynx
b) musculus uvulae - in uvula
What are all the skeletal muscles of the soft palate innervated by?
Are there any exceptions?
All the skeletal muscles of the soft palate are supplied by CN X and part of CN XI except from tensor veli palatini which is supplied by mandibular division of CN V
Where does the tensor veli palatini attach?
What does its tendon do?
What do the tendons on each side do and what do they form?
- attaches superiorly to the sphenoid bone
- its tendon turns medially around pterygoid hamulus and enters the soft palate
- the tendon flattens out within the soft palate and joins with the tendon of the opposite muscle to form the palatine aponeurosis
Where are the following muscles situated?
a) levator veli palatini
b) tensor veli palatini
Give another name for the auditory tube
What muscles encase the pharynx?
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a) levator veli palatini - from petrous temporal bone to soft palate
b) tensor veli palatini - from sphenoid bone to soft palate
Another name for the audtory tube is the Eustachian tube
- superior constrictor of pharynx
- middle constrictor of pharynx
How do you clinically test the function of the vagus nerve?
Explain the results you may observe:
- Ask patient to open mouth and say ‘‘ahh’’
If nerves are functioning normally, the uvula should lift straight up in the midline
If there is a unilateral nerve pathology the uvula will pull away from the non-functioning side by the normal side e.g. if uvula pulls to LHS, potential nerve pathology on RHS
Functions of the soft palate:
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- acts as a trapdoor
- stops food from entering the nasal cavity during swallowing
- directs air into nose or mouth during speech, sneezing, coughing and vomiting
- helps to close off entrance to oropharynx during gag reflex
What are tonsillar crypts?
The space where palatine tonsils have been removed
