Hard and Soft Palate Flashcards
What forms the hard palate?
Anterior 3/4 by palatine process of maxilla
Posterior 1/4 by the horizontal process of palatine bones
What are palatine rugae?
Found on mucosa of hard palate
Help the tongue with movement of food
What is the incisive fossa?
Opening of incisive canals in which the nasopalatine nerve and the greater palatine artery pass
What is the soft palate?
Muscular continuation of the hard palate that acts to close the oropharyngeal isthmus or separate the oro- and naso- pharynx
What are the muscles of the soft palate?
Levator veil palatini
Tensor veil palatini
Palatopharyngeus
Palatoglossus
Muscular uvulae
Where does the levator veil palatini originate and insert?
Origin - pharyngotympanic tube and temporal bone
Insertion - palatine aponeurosis
Where does the tensor veil palatini originate?
Scaphoid fossa, spine of sphenoid and pharyngotympanic tube
Where does the palatopharyngeus originate and insert?
Origin - hard palate and palatine aponeurosis
Insertion - lateral wall of pharynx
Where does the musculus uvulae originate and insert?
Origin - posterior nasal spine and palatine aponeurosis
Insertion - uvula
What innervates the muscles of the soft palate?
Motor by vagus except the tensor veil palatini which is mandibular nerve (Vc)
Describe arterial supply of the palate
Greater and lesser palatine arteries, branches of the maxillary artery from the external carotid
Greater palatine artery supplies the hard palate while the lesser palatine artery supplies the soft palate
Describe general sensation of the palate
Nerve of the palate originates from the maxillary nerve (Vb)
Lesser palatine nerve innervates the soft palate
Greater palatine nerve supplies the hard palate and gingiva (to the first premolar)
Nasopalatine nerve passes from the nasal cavity through the incisive fossa and supplies anterior gingiva and mucosa (incisors and canines)
What is the uvula?
A soft tissue projection posteriorly in the oral cavity that helps to create a seal when swallowing to prevent food/liquids entering the nasopharynx
What are the fauces?
The space between the oral cavity and the pharynx, laterally bound by the arches
What is the posterior boundary of the oral cavity?
The palatoglossal arch
