Palate

The palate (Latin palatum ) is at the higher vertebrates, the upper wall or the ceiling of the oral cavity, thus it is divorced from the nasal cavity and in mammals, also from the pharynx. It is an abutment for the tongue and therefore has great importance in the food intake and speaking.

Bony basis

The actual or hard palate is formed by the bony plates that extend from from the upper jaw in the depth of the oral cavity and connected from the horizontal parts of both maxillary ( processus palatini ) and palatine bones ( laminae horizontal ), ie of four, with sutures bone parts exist.

The hard palate (Latin palatum durum) is covered by a well-perfused (dense venous plexuses ), containing mucous glands, which usually has pigmented areas in animals. The palatal mucosa is anteriorly and laterally into the gums.

The mucous membrane of the palate has cross bars that taste squadrons (Latin palatine rugae ). In the center line of the concrescence of the merging during embryonic palate formation palatal processes is more or less clearly visible even in adults than palatal (Latin palatal raphe ). Should this merger, the result is a cleft palate ( palatoschisis ), which is often associated with cleft lip and jaw in (→ cleft lip and cleft palate )

At the front end of the palate there is a small increase, the incisive papilla on which the ductus incisivus opens. the blood supply is mainly through the palatine artery descending.

In fish, amphibians, snakes and lizards can also still be attached teeth, the number and position for the systematic zoology is of importance here.

Soft palate

For throat towards the hard palate is in mammals in the soft palate ( velum Latin palatium; too soft palate, lat palatum molle ) away. Emanate from the soft palate of two mucosal folds leading to the base of the tongue or at the side wall of the pharynx. They are called palatal arch. In the middle of the soft palate is in humans the uvula ( uvula ).

Literature and sources

• F.-V. Salomon et al. (Ed.): Anatomy for veterinary medicine. Enke Verlag, Stuttgart, 2nd exp. Edition 2008, ISBN 978-3-8304-1075-1