Hard palate

Hard palate
Mouth (oral cavity)
Upper respiratory system, with hard palate labeled at right.
Details
Artery	greater palatine artery
Nerve	greater palatine nerve, nasopalatine nerve
Identifiers
Latin	palatum durum
MeSH	A02.835.232.781.324.502.660
Dorlands /Elsevier	p_02/12607528
TA	A05.1.01.103
FMA	55023
*Anatomical terminology* [edit on Wikidata]

The hard palate is a thin horizontal bony plate of the skull, located in the roof of the mouth. It is formed by the palatine process of the maxilla and horizontal plate of palatine bone, and spans the arch formed by the upper teeth.

Structure

The hard palate is formed by the palatine process of the maxilla and horizontal plate of palatine bone. It forms a partition between the nasal passages and the mouth. On the anterior portion of the roof of the hard palate are the rugae, irregular ridges in the mucous membrane that help facilitate the movement of food backwards towards the pharynx. This partition is continued deeper into the mouth by a fleshy extension called the soft palate.

Function

The hard palate is important for feeding and speech. Mammals with a defective hard palate may die shortly after birth due to inability to suckle (see Cleft palate below). It is also involved in mastication in many species. The interaction between the tongue and the hard palate is essential in the formation of certain speech sounds, notably palatal consonants such as/ʃ/, /ʒ/, /j/, and /ɟ/.

Clinical significance

Cleft palate

In the birth defect called cleft palate, the left and right portions of this plate are not joined, forming a gap between the mouth and nasal passage (a related defect affecting the face is cleft lip).

While cleft palate has a severe impact upon the ability to nurse and speak, it is now successfully treated through reconstructive surgical procedures at an early age, where such procedures are available.

Palatal abscesses

The proximity of the dento-alveolar process explains the forming of palatal abscesses and the palatal mucosa and submucosa with its numerous glands and the squamous keratinized epithelium is in correlation with the rich tumoral pathology.^[1]

Additional images

Mouth
The bony palate and alveolar arch.
Base of skull. Inferior surface.
Sagittal section of skull.
Roof, floor, and lateral wall of left nasal cavity.
Nerves of septum of nose. Right side.
Lateral wall of nasal cavity.
Coronal section of nasal cavities.
Sagittal section of nose mouth, pharynx, and larynx.

References

↑ Roman⁠, Alexandru Gabriel; Mițariu⁠, Mihaela Cernușcă; Mițariu⁠, Mihai (June 2012). "Palatul dur — La granița dintre patologia tumorală și cea infecțioasă" [Palate – the border between tumor pathology and the infectious]. Revista de chirurgie oro-maxilo-facială și implantologie (in Romanian) 3 (2): 14–7.

External links

Anatomy diagram: 25420.000-1 at Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, Elsevier

Anatomy of the mouth

Lip	Upper Lower Vermilion border Frenulum of lower lip Labial commissure of mouth Philtrum

Cheek	Buccal fat pad

Roof	Hard palate Soft palate Palatine raphe Incisive papilla

Gums	Interdental papilla Gingival sulcus Gingival margin Gingival fibers Junctional epithelium Mucogingival junction Sulcular epithelium Stippling Periodontium Cementum Gingiva Periodontal ligament

Glands	Parotid gland duct Submandibular gland duct Sublingual gland duct

Teeth	see tooth anatomy

Tongue	Top Taste bud Median sulcus Terminal sulcus Foramen cecum Lingual tonsils Underside Frenulum Plica fimbriata Sublingual caruncle Glossoepiglottic folds Lingual septum

Back of mouth	Oropharynx fauces Plica semilunaris of the fauces Uvula Palatoglossal arch Palatopharyngeal arch Tonsillar fossa Palatine tonsil

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