Anatomy of Palate
Makes the roof of the mouth (oral cavity) and forms the floor of the nasal cavity.
2 parts:
- Anterior hard palate composed of bone
- Posterior soft palate is muscular
- Both parts are covered by mucous membrane that is continuous with that of oral cavity
- Has Glands that are a combination of salivary and mucous glands.
- Is very tightly affixed to both hard and soft palate
- On the hard palate: mucous membrane has permanent folds = Rugae
Bony Structures of Palate:
- Suture line comes across the palate and divides it into 2 primary bony parts
- Anteriorly: Palatine process of the Maxilla
- Posteriorly: Horizontal process of the Palatine bone
- Midline suture where two embryonic portions of palate merged
- Openings:
- Anteriorly, have Incisive foramen
- Transmits the Nasopalatine nerve (Branch of V2)
- Supplied nasal septum, then comes through this foramen to supply anterior portion of Hard palate.
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- Posteriorly: 2 openings located laterally, close to molars
- Greater palatine foramen
- Slightly more anterior
- Transmits Greater palatine nerve, artery, vein
- Lesser Palatine foramen
- Smaller, more posterior
- Transmits Lesser palatine nerve, artery, vein
Embryology of palate:
- Primary palate was portion of frontonasal prominence (intermaxillary segment) located most anteriorly
- Secondary palate formed as maxilla developed
- The incisive foramen is at the junction of the primary and secondary palates in the midline
- Do not have cleft palates along adult suture lines, have them along primary / secondary palate suture lines.
Soft Palate:
- Is attached anteriorly to the hard palate
- Has a connective tissue core much like the CT membrane that supports the pharyngeal muscles
- Called the Palatine Aponeurosis
- Is Dense connective tissue for support of the soft palate
- Uvula:
- Conical projection off of posterior aspect of soft palate
- Is muscle tissue which is related to muscle of soft palate
- Actions of the soft palate:
- Elevation– elevated during swallowing to close off nasopharynx
- Depression– brought back down following elevation
- Muscles of the Soft Palate: bilateral skeletal muscles
- 2 muscles that act to elevate the palate: are attached superiorly and descend toward palate
- Levator Veli Palatini:
- Origin: From medial aspect of auditory tube
- Inserts: onto palatine aponeurosis (common attachment for all soft palate muscles)
- Innervation: Vagus
- Tensor Veli Palatini
- Origin: From lateral aspect of auditory tube
- Curves around the Pterygoid Hamulus of medial pterygoid plate before insertion
- Inserts palatine aponeurosis.
- Innervation: V3 (one of the two tensors)
- Acts to pull palate tight, thus making elevation by levator more effective.
- By swallowing, these put tension on the auditory tube, thus equalize pressure.
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- 2 muscles that act to depress the palate: are attached inferiorly and ascend toward palate
- Palatoglossal: more anterior
- Origin: palatine aponeurosis
- Inserts: lateral aspect of tongue
- Innervation: Vagus
- Depresses the soft palate
- Palatopharyngeus:
- Origin: palatine aponeurosis
- Inserts: blending with pharyngeal wall muscles
- Innervation: Vagus
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- Musculus Uvilae– in the uvula
- Stretches from the palatine aponeurosis into the mucous membrane
- Origin: palatine aponeurosis
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- Inserts: mucous membrane of uvula
- Innervation: Vagus
- Aids in complete closure of the Nasopharynx
Blood supply to palate and Innervation of mucous membrane
- Descending palatine artery
- One of the final branches of the maxillary artery
- Enters the Greater palatine canal superiorly
- While in canal, divides into 2:
- Greater palatine artery goes out through greater palatine foramen and out anteriorly and goes to the hard palate
- Lesser palatine artery goes out through lesser palatine foramen and onto the soft palate
- Branches of V2 division
- Greater palatine nerve
- Out of greater palatine foramen
- Supplies mucous membrane of the hard palate
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- Lesser palatine nerve
- Out of lesser palatine foramen
- Supplies mucous membrane of the soft palate
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- Nasopalatine nerve: First supplied nasal septum, then descends onto hard palate
