Generality
The soft palate is the posterior region of the palate.
Unlike the hard palate (ie the anterior region of the palate), the soft palate is devoid of the bony component, but has an important set of muscles (including the tensor palatal vein, the palatoglossus m, the m palate-pharyngeal, the elevator head of the palatal veil and the uvula muscle).
The soft palate borders on: the hard palate, anteriorly; the nasopharynx, posteriorly; the oropharynx, inferiorly; the nasal cavities and the entrance of the Eustachian tube, above.
The soft palate has both a sensitive innervation and a motor innervation (which is used to control the aforementioned muscles).
The soft palate contributes to the correct swallowing and, during the phonation, guarantees the emission of the velar consonants.
Among the most known pathologies that can affect the soft palate, cleft palate is worth mentioning.
What is the Soft Palate?
The soft palate is the posterior region of the palate as well as the direct continuation of the hard palate, ie the anterior region of the palate.
Short review of what the Palate is
- The palate is the upper wall of the oral cavity and, at the same time, the base of the nasal cavities; the palate is therefore the "roof of the mouth" and the "floor of the nasal cavities".
- Including bones, muscle tissue and mucous tissue, the palate can be divided into two regions: an anterior region, which is equivalent to the aforementioned hard palate, and a posterior region, which corresponds to the subject of this article, namely the soft palate.
- Although hard to distinguish from sight, the hard palate and the soft palate are quite different from each other; in fact, under the mucous lining common to both, the hard palate has a bone component, which in the soft palate is completely absent and replaced, in a certain sense, by a component of muscular nature.
Anatomy
Constituent one third of the entire palate (the remaining 2/3 are hard palate), the soft palate is a muscular formation, covered with oral mucosa, which, thanks to the rich component of muscles, is endowed with a marked mobility .
Based on the most classic anatomical description of the palate, two characteristic portions are recognizable on the soft palate, both lacking the bone component present in the hard palate, which are called horizontal portion and vertical portion .
- The horizontal portion of the soft palate is the natural continuation of the hard palate; it ends with a free margin that faces the nasopharynx, that is the empty space that connects the nasal cavities to the oral cavity.
- The vertical portion of the soft palate, on the other hand, is a sort of prominence oriented towards the floor of the oral cavity, with a concave aspect, in the initial part, and convex, in the terminal part, which culminates with an anatomical element surely known to most people: l uvula .
Muscles of the Soft Palate
The soft palate includes 5 muscles in all: the tensor muscle of the palatine veil, the palatoglossus muscle, the palato-pharyngeal muscle, the levator palatalis vein muscle and the uvula muscle .
- Tensor muscle of the palatal veil.
Origin: on the medial pterygoid plate of the sphenoid bone (sphenoid fossa);
Terminal insertion: on the palatal aponeurosis ;
Innervation: it is up to the medial pterygoid nerve (branch of the maxillary nerve );
Function: provides the tension of the soft palate, a fundamental movement for swallowing.
- Palatoglossus muscle.
Origin: on the palatal aponeurosis;
Terminal insertion: on the tongue ;
Innervation: it is up to the pharyngeal plexus (derivation of the vagus nerve );
Function: allows the rear part of the tongue to be raised and moved backwards to ensure optimal swallowing.
- Palate-pharyngeal muscle.
Origin: on the palatal aponeurosis;
Terminal insertion: on the upper edge of the thyroid cartilage ;
Innervation: it is up to the pharyngeal plexus (derivation of the vagus nerve);
Function: serves to "pull" the pharynx and larynx upwards, so as to guarantee breathing.
- Elevating muscle of the palatal veil.
Origin: on the temporal bone and on the Eustachian tube ;
Terminal insertion: on the palatal aponeurosis;
Innervation: it is up to the pharyngeal plexus (derivation of the vagus nerve);
Function: provides for the elevation of the soft palate, an indispensable movement for swallowing.
- Uvula muscle.
Origin: at the rear edge of the hard palate;
Terminal insertion: on the mucous membrane of the uvula;
Innervation: it is up to the pharyngeal plexus (derivation of the vagus nerve);
Function: provides for the elevation of the uvula.
To understand: what are the maxillary nerve and the palatal aponeurosis?
- The maxillary nerve is one of the three main branches of the trigeminal nerve, ie the V cranial nerve .
- Attached to the posterior edge of the hard palate, the palatal aponeurosis is a fibrous sheath of the palate, whose main task is to support the muscles of the soft palate.
Relationships
The soft palate borders on:
- The hard palate, anteriorly;
- The nasopharynx, posteriorly;
- The oropharynx, below;
- The nasal cavities and, in a sense, also the entrance of the Eustachian tube, superiorly.
Blood circulation
To deal with the influx of oxygenated blood to the soft palate are the minor palatine arteries (branches of the descending palatine artery ) and the ascending palatine artery (branch of the facial artery ).
The drainage from the soft palate of oxygen-poor blood, on the other hand, belongs to a group of veins that join the pterygoid venous plexus .
innervation
The innervation of the soft palate includes both fibers of a sensitive nature (sensory innervation) and motor fibers (motor innervation).
The sensory innervation of the soft palate is provided by the palatine maggiore and naso-palatino (or spheno-palatine ) nerves, and the palatine nerve minor .
The palatine maggiore, naso-palatino and palatino nerves originate from the pterigo-palatine ganglion, that is, the formation of the nerve formation that groups the fibers of the maxillary nerve and the nerve of the pterygoid canal.
The motor innervation of the soft palate, on the other hand, is due to the nerve fibers of the pterygoid plexus and the medial pterygoid nerve ; as reported in the section dedicated to the muscles of the soft palate, in fact, the pterygoid plexus fibers provide innervation of the levator muscles of the palatal, palatoglossus, palate-pharyngeal vein and the uvula muscle, while the medial pterygoid nerve takes care of the innervation of the tensor muscle of the palatal veil.
Two curiosities about the uvula
- The sensitive innervation present on the soft palate causes the touch of the latter, in particular on the uvula, to trigger the vomiting stimulus.
- Recent studies have shown that the uvula has no role in the phenomenon of snoring .
Function
The soft palate contributes to the correct swallowing and, during the phonation (that is during the production of sounds through the vocal organs), it guarantees the emission of the velar consonants .
Did you know that ...
The hard palate participates in chewing and, during the phonation, at the emission of palatal consonants .
Swallowing
During swallowing, the soft palate moves in such a way as to induce the closure of the passage to the nose (rhinopharynx) and the closure of the airways. This prevents the food (which is now called the food bolus ) from taking the path that leads to the nasal cavities and the path that leads to the trachea, and, at the same time, allows it to undertake a single path, the most appropriate one, which is the way to the esophagus .
Phonological
As for speech dynamics, the soft palate allows the generation of sounds corresponding to the letters "k", "g", "x" or "y".
Curiosity
During sneezing, the soft palate has the task of diverting part of the excretion towards the mouth.
diseases
The soft palate can be subject to medical conditions, such as:
- The herpangina, which is an infection of the oral mucosa supported by a particular strain of Coxsackie virus A and characterized by pain in the affected part;
- Pemphigus vulgaris, which is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by blistering of the skin and mucous membranes, including the oral soft palate;
- Cleft palate, which is a congenital malformation of the palate.
A brief study on Palatoschisi
WHAT'S THIS?
Belonging to the pathological category of oro-facial clefts, cleft palate is a congenital malformation, which is characterized by the presence of a fissure (or cracking) on the soft palate and / or hard palate.
Cleft palate is often associated with another well-known medical condition: cleft lip (or cleft lip).
CAUSES
Cleft palate is due to an incorrect or incomplete closure of the entire palate or a region of it, during fetal development.
Currently, the causes affecting palate closure, inducing cleft palate, are unknown.
On the subject, however, there are various theories; among these, the most reliable claims that cleft palate would be the result of a combination of genetic factors and environmental factors .
Did you know that ...
In humans, the palate is formed between the sixth and ninth week of fetal development.
SYMPTOMS
The presence of cleft palate can have several consequences; in fact, it can involve:
- Difficulty sucking mother's milk and eating;
- Difficulty speaking;
- Teeth problems;
- Predisposition to otitis of the middle ear.
DIAGNOSIS
Since malformations in any part of the palate (be it hard or that) are difficult to find in the prenatal phase, the diagnosis of cleft palate is generally made at birth, through an objective examination .
THERAPY
Today, fortunately, cleft palate is a curable condition with excellent results; in fact, an ad hoc surgical procedure exists, which allows to effectively close the anomalous opening present both on the soft palate and on the hard palate.
