In human anatomy of the

mouth In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...

, the palatine process of maxilla (palatal process), is a thick, horizontal process of the

maxilla The maxilla (plural: ''maxillae'' ) in vertebrates is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth. The t ...

. It forms the anterior three quarters of the

hard palate The hard palate is a thin horizontal bony plate made up of two bones of the facial skeleton, located in the roof of the mouth. The bones are the palatine process of the maxilla and the horizontal plate of palatine bone. The hard palate spans ...

, the horizontal plate of the

palatine bone In anatomy, the palatine bones () are two irregular bones of the facial skeleton in many animal species, located above the uvula in the throat. Together with the maxillae, they comprise the hard palate. (''Palate'' is derived from the Latin ''pa ...

making up the rest.

Structure

It is perforated by numerous foramina for the passage of the nutrient vessels; is channelled at the back part of its lateral border by a groove, sometimes a canal, for the transmission of the

descending palatine vessels The descending palatine artery is a branch of the third part of the maxillary artery supplying the hard and soft palate. Course It descends through the greater palatine canal with the greater and lesser palatine branches of the pterygopalatine gan ...

and the anterior palatine nerve from the spheno-palatine ganglion; and presents little depressions for the lodgement of the

palatine glands The palatine glands form a continuous layer on the posterior surface of the mucous membrane of the soft palate and around the uvula The palatine uvula, usually referred to as simply the uvula, is a conic projection from the back edge of the midd ...

. When the two maxillae are articulated, a funnel-shaped opening, the

incisive foramen In the human mouth, the incisive foramen (also known as: "''anterior palatine foramen''", or "''nasopalatine foramen''") is the opening of the incisive canals on the hard palate immediately behind the incisor teeth. It gives passage to blood ves ...

, is seen in the middle line, immediately behind the

incisor teeth Incisors (from Latin ''incidere'', "to cut") are the front teeth present in most mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and on the mandible below. Humans have a total of eight (two on each side, top and bottom). Opossums have 18, wh ...

. In this opening the orifices of two lateral canals are visible; they are named the

incisive canals The incisive canals (also: "''nasopalatine canals''") are two bony canals of the anterior hard palate connecting the nasal cavity and the oral cavity. An incisive canal courses through each maxilla. Below, the two incisive canals typically converg ...

or foramina of Stenson; through each of them passes the terminal branch of the

descending palatine artery The descending palatine artery is a branch of the third part of the maxillary artery supplying the hard and soft palate. Course It descends through the greater palatine canal with the greater and lesser palatine branches of the pterygopalatine gan ...

and the

nasopalatine nerve The nasopalatine nerve (long sphenopalatine nerve) is a nerve of the head. It is a branch of the pterygopalatine ganglion, a continuation from the maxillary nerve (V2). It supplies parts of the palate and nasal septum. Structure The nasopalati ...

. On the under surface of the palatine process, a delicate linear suture, well seen in young skulls, may sometimes be noticed extending laterally and forward on either side from the incisive foramen to the interval between the lateral incisor and the

canine tooth In mammalian oral anatomy, the canine teeth, also called cuspids, dog teeth, or (in the context of the upper jaw) fangs, eye teeth, vampire teeth, or vampire fangs, are the relatively long, pointed teeth. They can appear more flattened however ...

. The small part in front of this suture constitutes the premaxilla (''os incisivum''), which in most vertebrates forms an independent bone; it includes the whole thickness of the

alveolus Alveolus (; pl. alveoli, adj. alveolar) is a general anatomical term for a concave cavity or pit. Uses in anatomy and zoology * Pulmonary alveolus, an air sac in the lungs ** Alveolar cell or pneumocyte ** Alveolar duct ** Alveolar macrophage * Mam ...

, the corresponding part of the floor of the nose and the anterior nasal spine, and contains the sockets of the incisor teeth. The ''upper surface'' of the palatine process is concave from side to side, smooth, and forms the greater part of the floor of the nasal cavity. It presents, close to its medial margin, the upper orifice of the incisive canal. The ''lateral border'' of the process is incorporated with the rest of the bone. The ''medial border'' is thicker in front than behind, and is raised above into a ridge, the

nasal crest Nasal is an adjective referring to the nose, part of human or animal anatomy. It may also be shorthand for the following uses in combination: * With reference to the human nose: ** Nasal administration, a method of pharmaceutical drug delivery * ...

, which, with the corresponding ridge of the opposite bone, forms a groove for the reception of the

vomer The vomer (; lat, vomer, lit=ploughshare) is one of the unpaired facial bones of the skull. It is located in the midsagittal line, and articulates with the sphenoid, the ethmoid, the left and right palatine bones, and the left and right maxill ...

. The front part of this ridge rises to a considerable height, and is named the

incisor crest Incisors (from Latin ''incidere'', "to cut") are the front teeth present in most mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and on the mandible below. Humans have a total of eight (two on each side, top and bottom). Opossums have 18, wh ...

; it is prolonged forward into a sharp process, which forms, together with a similar process of the opposite bone, the

anterior nasal spine The anterior nasal spine, or anterior nasal spine of maxilla, is a bony projection in the skull that serves as a cephalometric landmark. The anterior nasal spine is the projection formed by the fusion of the two maxillary bones at the intermaxill ...

. The ''posterior border'' is serrated for articulation with the horizontal part of the

Variation

Occasionally two additional canals are present in the middle line; they are termed the

foramina of Scarpa In the maxilla, occasionally two additional canals are present in the middle line of the palatine process; they are termed the foramina of Scarpa, and when present transmit the nasopalatine nerves, the left passing through the anterior, and the ri ...

, and when present transmit the

nasopalatine nerves The nasopalatine nerve (long sphenopalatine nerve) is a nerve of the head. It is a branch of the pterygopalatine ganglion, a continuation from the maxillary nerve (V2). It supplies parts of the palate and nasal septum. Structure The nasopalati ...

, the left passing through the anterior, and the right through the

posterior canal The semicircular canals or semicircular ducts are three semicircular, interconnected tubes located in the innermost part of each ear, the inner ear. The three canals are the horizontal, superior and posterior semicircular canals. Structure The ...

Clinical significance

Additional images

File:Palatine process of maxilla - animation01.gif, Position of palatine process (shown in red). File:Palatine process of maxilla - animation02.gif, Maxilla. Palatine process shown in red. File:Palatine process of maxilla - close up - inferior view.png, Inferior surface of maxilla. Palatine process shown in red. File:Gray160.png, Inferior surface of

. The

bony palate The hard palate is a thin horizontal bony plate made up of two bones of the facial skeleton, located in the roof of the mouth. The bones are the palatine process of the maxilla and the horizontal plate of palatine bone. The hard palate spans ...

and

alveolar arch The alveolar process () or alveolar bone is the thickened ridge of bone that contains the tooth sockets on the jaw bones (in humans, the maxilla and the mandible). The structures are covered by gums as part of the oral cavity. The synonymous te ...

. File:Gray158.png, Left maxilla. Nasal surface. File:Gray187.png, Base of skull. Inferior surface. File:Gray196.png, Roof, floor, and lateral wall of left nasal cavity. File:Slide8rr.JPG,

Sagittal section The sagittal plane (; also known as the longitudinal plane) is an anatomical plane that divides the body into right and left sections. It is perpendicular to the transverse and coronal planes. The plane may be in the center of the body and divid ...

of skull. (Palatine process labeled at bottom right.) File:Slide14hhhh.JPG, Medial surface of right maxilla. (Palatine process labeled at center.)

External links

* – "Osteology of the Skull: The Maxilla" * – "Nasal septum, lateral view" * {{Authority control Bones of the head and neck