The Mouth and Face 1

Question 1

What is the front of the hard palate referred to as?

Answer 1

It has a bony roof and is referred to as the hard palate.

Question 2

What is the back of the palate referred to as?

Answer 2

The back is entirely muscular therefore it is referred to as the soft palate.

Question 3

What does the palate form a partition between?

Answer 3

It forms a partition between the nose and the mouth.

Question 4

What is the bony palate bounded by in front and at the sides?

Answer 4

It is bounded by the 2 bony alveolar processes of the maxillae.

Question 5

Where do the maxillary teeth lie?

Answer 5

The lie in this ridge of supporting bone between the 2 bony alveolar processes of the maxilla.

Question 6

What is the anterior 2/3s of the bony palate palate formed by?

Answer 6

It is formed by the palatine processes of the maxillae.

Question 7

What is the posterior third of the bony palate made up of?

Answer 7

It is made up of 2 horizontal plates of the palatine bones.

Question 8

What are the horizontal plates of the palatine bones separated by?

Answer 8

They are separated by a midline suture.

Question 9

What happens to the greater palatine canal as it approaches the palate on its descent from the pterygopalatine fossa?

Answer 9

It divides.

Question 10

How do nerves and vessels pass into the palate?

Answer 10

• one group of nerves and vessels pass into the palate just medial to the upper third molar tooth in the palatine bone at the greater palatine foramen
• another group passes through the lesser palatine foramen just a short distance behind it

Question 11

Describe the path of the greater palatine nerves.

Answer 11

They run anteriorly along the sides of the hard palate in a groove.

Question 12

Describe the path of the lesser palatine nerves and vessels.

Answer 12

They run posteriorly into the soft palate.

Question 13

Where is the incisive fossa and canal?

Answer 13

These are behind the incisor teeth.

Question 14

What does the incisive canal conduct?

Answer 14

It conducts the terminal branches of the nasopalatine nerve into the front of the hard palate.

Question 15

How do branches of the greater palatine arteries pass into the nose?

Answer 15

They pass through the incisive foramina for a short while.

Question 16

Describe the mucous membrane towards the front of the hard palate?

Answer 16

It is raised into ridges called rugae.

Question 17

What else do we have in the palate?

Answer 17

There are also mucous glands and minor salivary glands in the palate.

Question 18

What are the rugae important for?

Answer 18

They are important for speech and eating.

Question 19

How do the rugae assist when eating?

Answer 19

By rubbing food into the surface of the tongue and they contribute to the ability to taste things and judge texture.

Question 20

Where does a flat palatine aponeurosis attach to?

Answer 20

It attaches to the posterior edge of the hard palate.

Question 21

Where do the muscles of the soft palate insert?

Answer 21

They insert into the tough flat palatine aponeurosis.

Question 22

How many muscles are there on either side of the palate?

Answer 22

There are 5 muscles.

Question 23

Describe the soft palate.

Answer 23

It is very mobile and it moves and contracts in a complex manner when we speak and swallow.

Question 24

Where do the levator palati and tensor palati arise from?

Answer 24

They arise from the base of the skull near the auditory tube.

Question 25

Describe the path of the levator palati.

Answer 25

• passes over the top of the superior constrictor muscle at its upper border
  
  • runs through the pharyngobasilar fascia here
• spreads out on top of the aponeurosis to insert into it
• approaches the fellow levator palati on the other side

Question 26

What is the function of the levator palati?

Answer 26

It elevates the palate.

Question 27

How does the tensor palati descend from the cranial base?

Answer 27

As a triangular sheet.

Question 28

Where does the tensor palati originate from?

Answer 28

It originates from the scaphoid fossa of the sphenoid bone in front just between the roots of the 2 pterygoid plates and from the spine of the sphenoid bone behind, just by the foramen spinosum.

From these 2 points of origin, it converges inferiorly onto the pterygoid hamulu as a tendon.

Question 29

How does the tensor palati interact with the pterygoid hamulus?

Answer 29

It curls around this structure and uses it as a pulley so its course is now more or less horizontal into the palatine aponeurosis.

Question 30

What is the function of the tensor palati?

Answer 30

It flattens the domed soft palate when it contracts.

Question 31

Where do the palatoglossus and palatopharyngeus muscle run from?

Answer 31

They run from the palatine aponeurosis and descend into the tongue and the pharynx respectively.

Question 32

How does the palatopharyngeus interact with the levator palati on the top of the small palate?

Answer 32

2 slips of the palatopharyngeus muscle embrace the lower end of the levator palati on top of the small palate.

Question 33

What does the palatopharyngus muscle attach to in the pharynx?

Answer 33

It descends into the pharynx and it attaches on to the thyroid lamina.

Question 34

Where does the palatoglossus arise from?

Answer 34

It arises from the palatine aponeurosis.

Question 35

Where does the palatoglossus muscle run into?

Answer 35

It runs into the side of the tongue

Question 36

On their descent what do the palatoglossus and palatopharyngeus muscle create?

Answer 36

They create 2 ridges of mucous membrane called the palatoglossal (anterior pillar of the fauces) and the palatopharyngeal arches (posterior pillar of the fauces).

Question 37

What does the palatoglossal arch form?

Answer 37

It forms the posterior boundary of the cavity of the mouth.

Question 38

What do we have between the palatoglossal and the palatopharyngeal arches?

Answer 38

We have a fossa that contains the palatine tonsil.

Question 39

What does the palatopharyngeus act as?

Answer 39

It acts as a constrictor muscle at the entrance of the oropharynx.

Question 40

What is the musculus uvulae?

Answer 40

It is an intrinsic muscle of the soft palate.

Question 41

Where does the musculus uvulae arise from?

Answer 41

It arises from the posterior edge of the hard palate in the midline and runs into a small tongue like flap called an uvula which hangs from the posterior edge of the soft palate.

Question 42

What happens to the musculus uvulae in the midline?

Answer 42

It raises into a bulge in the upper surface of the soft palate during swallowing and this acts like a bung that can close off the nasopharynx from the mouth.

Question 43

Describe the motor nerve supply to the pharyneal and palatine muscles.

Answer 43

It is through the vagoaccessory complex in the pharyngeal plexus and also through the laryngeal nerves.

Question 44

What is the motor supply to the tensor palati?

Answer 44

It is supplied by a small nerve from the region of the otic ganglion and this comes from the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve.

Question 45

What is the stylopharyngeus muscle supplied by?

Answer 45

It is in an intimate relationship with the glossopharyngeal nerve which is the 12th cranial nerve and it is supplied by this nerve.

Question 46

What does the sensory supply of the pharynx depend on?

Answer 46

It depends on the level.

Question 47

What is the sensory nerve supply to the roof of the nasopharynx and the nose?

Answer 47

They are supplied by the maxillary division of the trigeminal nerve

Question 48

What do the palatine branches of the maxillary division of the trigeminal nerve supply?

Answer 48

They supply much of the palate, both hard and soft. Sensory supply.

Question 49

What does the glossopharyngeal nerve supply sensation to?

Answer 49

They supply sensation to the

• oropharynx
• mucous membrane of the auditory tube
• tonsil
• little bit of the soft palate

Question 50

What is the laryngopharynx supplied by?

Answer 50

It is supplied with sensation by the vagus nerve.