Soft Palate

Anatomy of Soft Palate

1. Soft Palate V.S.RASHMI PRIYEM ULTRA’S BEST DENTAL SCIENCE COLLEGE

2. SOFT PALATE THE SOFT PALATE IS A MOBILE MUSCULAR FLAP. HANGS DOWN FROM THE POSTERIOR BORDER OF THE HARD PALATE INTO THE PHARYNGEAL CAVITY LIKE A CURTAIN OR VELUM. SEPARATES THE NASOPHARYNX FROM OROPHARYNX.

3. EXTERNAL FEATURES 1. ANTERIOR SURFACE IS CONCAVE AND MARKED BY A MEDIAN RAPHE. 2. POSTERIOR SURFACE IS CONVEX AND CONTINUOUS WITH THE FLOOR OF THE NASAL CAVITY. 3. SUPERIOR BORDER IS ATTACHED TO THE POSTERIOR BORDER OF THE HARD PALATE. 4. INFERIOR BORDER IS FREE AND FORMS THE ANTERIOR BOUNDARY OF THE PHARYNGEAL ISTHMUS. A CONICAL, SMALL, TONGUE-LIKE PROJECTION HANGING DOWN FROM ITS MIDDLE IS CALLED UVULA.

4. FOLDINGS ON EACH SIDE FROM THE BASE OF UVULA, TWO CURVED FOLDS OF MUCOUS MEMBRANE EXTEND LATERALLY AND DOWNWARDS: PALATOGLOSSAL FOLD PALATOPHARYNGEAL FOLD

5. PALATOGLOSSAL FOLD THE ANTERIOR FOLD MERGES INFERIORLY WITH THE SIDE OF THE TONGUE (AT THE JUNCTION OF ORAL AND PHARYNGEAL PARTS) AND IS KNOWN AS PALATOGLOSSAL FOLD. THE PALATOGLOSSAL FOLD CONTAINS THE PALATOGLOSSUS MUSCLE. FORMS THE LATERAL BOUNDARY OF THE OROPHARYNGEAL ISTHMUS.

6. PALATOPHARYNGEAL FOLD THE POSTERIOR FOLD MERGES INFERIORLY WITH THE LATERAL WALL OF THE PHARYNX AND IS KNOWN AS PALATOPHARYNGEAL FOLD. THE PALATOPHARYNGEAL FOLD CONTAINS PALATOPHARYNGEUS MUSCLE. FORMS THE POSTERIOR BOUNDARY OF THE TONSILLAR FOSSA.

7. STRUCTURE THE SOFT PALATE IS MADE UP OF A FOLD OF MUCOUS MEMBRANE ENCLOSING FIVE PAIRS OF MUSCLES.

8. STRUCTURE THE NASAL SURFACE OF THE SOFT PALATE IS COVERED BY PSEUDOSTRATIFIED CILIATED COLUMNAR EPITHELIUM EXCEPT POSTERIORLY, WHICH IS LINED BY NON-KERATINIZED STRATIFIED SQUAMOUS EPITHELIUM. THE ORAL SURFACE OF THE SOFT PALATE IS THICKER AND LINED BY NON-KERATINIZED STRATIFIED SQUAMOUS EPITHELIUM.

9. STRUCTURE THE SUBMUCOSA ON BOTH THE SURFACES CONTAIN MUCOUS GLANDS, PLENTY AROUND THE UVULA AND ON THE ORAL ASPECT OF THE SOFT PALATE. THE MUCOSA ON THE ORAL SURFACE OF THE SOFT PALATE ALSO CONTAINS SOME TASTE BUDS AND LYMPHOID FOLLICLES.

10. MUSCLES OF SOFT PALATE CONSISTS OF THE FIVE PAIRS OF MUSCLES. 1. TENSOR PALATI (TENSOR VELI PALATINI) 2. LEVATOR PALATI (LEVATOR VELI PALATINI) 3. PALATOGLOSSUS 4. PALATOPHARYNGEUS 5. MUSCULUS UVULAE ALL THE MUSCLES OF SOFT PALATE ARE EXTRINSIC EXCEPT MUSCULUS UVULAE, WHICH ARE INTRINSIC.

11. FUNCTIONS 1. SEPARATES THE OROPHARYNX FROM NASOPHARYNX DURING SWALLOWING SO THAT FOOD DOES NOT ENTER THE NOSE. 2. ISOLATES THE ORAL CAVITY FROM OROPHARYNX DURING CHEWING SO THAT BREATHING IS NOT AFFECTED. 3. HELPS TO MODIFY THE QUALITY OF VOICE, BY VARYING THE DEGREE OF CLOSURE OF THE PHARYNGEAL ISTHMUS. 4. PROTECTS THE DAMAGE OF NASAL MUCOSA DURING SNEEZING, BY APPROPRIATELY DIVIDING AND DIRECTING THE BLAST OF AIR THROUGH BOTH NASAL AND ORAL CAVITIES. 5. PREVENTS THE ENTRY OF SPUTUM INTO NOSE DURING COUGHING BY DIRECTING IT INTO THE ORAL CAVITY.

12. ARTERIAL SUPPLY 1. LESSER PALATINE BRANCHES OF THE MAXILLARY ARTERY 2. ASCENDING PALATINE BRANCH OF THE FACIAL ARTERY 3. PALATINE BRANCHES OF THE ASCENDING PHARYNGEAL ARTERY

13. VENOUS DRAINAGE PHARYNGEAL VENOUS PLEXUS PTERYGOID VENOUS PLEXUS

14. LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE RETROPHARYNGEAL LYMPH NODES UPPER DEEP CERVICAL LYMPH NODES

15. NERVE SUPPLY MOTOR SUPPLY: ALL THE MUSCLES OF SOFT PALATE ARE SUPPLIED BY THE CRANIAL ROOT OF ACCESSORY NERVE VIA PHARYNGEAL PLEXUS. EXCEPT TENSOR PALATI , WHICH IS SUPPLIED BY THE NERVE TO MEDIAL PTERYGOID , A BRANCH OF THE MANDIBULAR NERVE.

16. NERVE SUPPLY SENSORY SUPPLY: LESSER PALATINE NERVES TO THE MAXILLARY DIVISION OF TRIGEMINAL NERVE VIA PTERYGOPALATINE GANGLION. GLOSSOPHARYNGEAL NERVE.

17. PARALYSIS OF SOFT PALATE DUE TO LESION OF VAGUS NERVE. PRODUCES: (A) NASAL REGURGITATION OF LIQUIDS. (B) NASAL TWANG IN VOICE. (C) FLATTENING OF THE PALATAL ARCH ON THE SIDE OF THE LESION. (D) DEVIATION OF UVULA, OPPOSITE TO THE SIDE OF THE LESION.

18. GAG REFLEX A PROTECTIVE REFLEX CHARACTERIZED BY THE ELEVATION OF THE PALATE AND CONTRACTION OF THE PHARYNGEAL MUSCLES. IN RESPONSE TO STIMULATION OF THE MUCOUS MEMBRANE OF THE OROPHARYNX. IT OCCURS WHEN THE PALATE, TONSIL, POSTERIOR PART OF THE TONGUE, OR POSTERIOR PHARYNGEAL WALL ARE TOUCHED BY UNFAMILIAR OBJECTS SUCH AS SWAB, SPATULA, ETC. AFFERENT LIMB OF THE REFLEX IS PROVIDED BY THE GLOSSOPHARYNGEAL NERVE. EFFERENT LIMB OF THE REFLEX IS PROVIDED BY THE VAGUS NERVE.