Parts of Palate

 

Palate

Palate is roof of the mouth ; upper part of the inside of mouth. Palate separates the mouth from nasal cavity.

Palate front portion is bony known as hard palate, and the back portion is muscular known as soft palate.

Parts of Palate

Palate is divided into two parts-

1. Hard palate; Anterior portion 

2. Soft palate; Posterior portion

Structure of Palate

Palate is a bony or muscular partition, forms roof of oral cavity and floor of nasal cavity. The hard palate is the anterior bony portion, and soft palate is the posterior muscular portion.

Palate is made up of hard palate and soft palate. 

1. Hard Palate

Hard palate is anterior horizontal bony part of palate. Hard palate is floor of nasal cavity and roof of the mouth. It forms partition between nasal and oral cavity.  

Hard platate made up of keratinized stratified squamous epithelium.

Function of Hard Palate

1. Provides space for tongue to move freely

2. Separating the oral cavity from the nasal cavity

3. Holds roots of the upper teeth

4. Forms roof of oral cavity and floor of nasal cavity

5. It aids to grip food while chewing

2. Soft Palate

Soft palate or velum or muscular palate is posterior muscular portion of palate that continues from posterior border of hard palate.

Posterior of soft palate midline small conic projection called uvula.

Uvula

Uvula secretes large amounts of saliva that keep throat moist and lubricated.

During swallowing, soft palate and uvula move together to close off nasopharynx. It prevent food from entering the nasal cavity during swallow

It helps to flow food in one direction, close off nasopharynx from nasal cavity during swallowing, preventing food from being forced into the nasal cavity.

Function of Soft Palate

1. Aid speech

2. During swallowing, blocking food and other substances from entering the nasal passages.

3. Block off nasal cavity and the nasal portion of the pharynx, separating nasopharynx from oral pharynx .

4. Aids Breathing