Other - Palate Flashcards
What is the palate?
The roof of the mouth.
It divides the nasal cavity and oral cavity with the hard and soft palates.
What mucosa line the superior and inferior aspects of the palate?
Superior aspect - respiratory epithelium
Inferior aspect - oral mucosa, populated with secetory salivatory glands.
Features of the hard palate
Foramina?
1) Incisive canal - located in the anterior midline - transmits the nasopalatine nerve.
2) Greater palatine foramen - located medial to the third molar tooth - transmits the greater palatine nerve.
3) Lesser palatine foramina - located in the pyramidal process of the palatine bone - transmits the lesser palatine nerve
Soft palate
Continuous with the hard palate.
The posterior margin has a uvula than hangs for the midline.
The soft palate forms the roof of the faucea; an area connecting the oral cavity and the pharynx.
Two arches bind the palate to the tongue and the pharynx:
i) Palatoglossal arch - anteriorly
ii) Palatopharyngeal arches - posteriorly
Between these arches are the palatine tonsils.
What are the muscles of the soft palate?
What nerve innervates these muscles?
Tensor veli palatini
Levator veli palatini
Palatoglossus
Palatopharyngeus
Musuculus uvulae
Pharygneal branch of the vagus nerve, except the tensor veli palatini (mandibular nerve).
Tensor veli palatini
Origin - medial pterygoid plate
Insertion - palatine aponeurosis
Functions - tenses the soft palate
Levator veli palatini
Origin - petrous temporal bone and eustachian tube
Insertion - palatine aponeurosis
Actions - elevation of the soft palate
Palatoglossus
Origin - Palatine aponeurosis
Insertion - side of the tongue
Action - pulls soft palate towards the tongue
Palatopharyngeus
Origin - palatine aponeurosis
Insertion - upper border of thyroid cartilage
Action - tenses soft palate and draws pharynx anteriorly when swallowing
Musculus uvulae
Origin - palatine aponeurosis
Insertion - mucous membrane of the uvula
Action - shortens the uvula
Vasculature
Arterial supply - greater palatine artery (greater palatine foramen)
Lesser palatine and ascending palatine provide collateral supply.
Venous drainage - pterygoid venous plexus
Innervation
Sensory innervation of the palate - maxillary branch of trigeminal - greater palatine nerve
Mucous membrane of the hard palate - nasopalatine nerve
Mucous membrane of the soft palate - lesser palatine nerve
Clinical relevance - cleft lip and palate
A cleft refers to a gap in the upper lip or palate. It is a developmental defect.
1) Cleft lip - occurs when the medial nasal and maxillary prominences fail to fuse.
2) Cleft palate - occurs when palatal shelves fails to fuse. May occur with cleft lip.
Epidemiology - 1/1000 live births (native americans - 4x)
Cosmetic and psychosocial implications. Failure to feed in some cases, resulting in death.
Other complications - recurrent ear infections and speech impediment.
