soft palate

Soft palate and pharynx

Presented by : Dr.yasmin shihadehProsthodontic resident at Royal medical services

Soft palate

MusclesThe five muscles of the soft palate ,play important role in swallowing and breathing,the muscles are : Tensor veli palatini ,palatoglossus and levator veli

palatini involved in swallowing Palatopharngeus involved in breathing

Musculus uvulae ,which moves the uvula

Tensor veli palatini• Originate from scaphoid fossa of sphenoid bone

and from the lateral side of the cartilaginous part of auditory tube.

• From its origin ,the fibres converge toward the pterygoid hamulus,when the muscle becomes tendinous (the tendon bending at right angles around the hamulus to become the palatine aponeurosis.

• The anterior border of the aponeurosis is attached to the posterior border of the hard palate,medically it merges with aponeurosis of the other side ,posteriorly it merges with sub mucosa at the posterior edge of soft palate .

• When the tensor veli palatini muscle contracts,the aponeurosis becomes a taut ,a horizontal plate of tissue with other muscles act to change the position of the soft palate.

• The motor innervation is derived from mandibular branch of the trigiminal nerve(via the nerve to the medial pterygoid muscle and the optic ganglion).

Levator veli palatini • Originates from the base of the skull at the apex of the

petrous part of temporal bone ,anterior to the opening of the carotid canal,and from the medial side of the cartilaginous part of auditory tube .

• The muscle curve downward,medically and forwards to enter the palate immediately below the opening of the auditory tube.

• The levator muscles of the palate form a U- shaped muscular sling

• Contraction of the levator muscle produces an upwards and backwards movement of soft palate,in this way the nasopharynx is shut off from the oropharynx by the apposition of the soft palate on the posterior wall of the pharynx

Palatopharyngeus • Arises from two heads : one from the

posterior border of the hard palate,the other from the upper surface of palatine aponeurosis.

• The muscle is inserted in to the the posterior border of the thyroid cartilage of the larynx.

• The main action of the palatopharyngeus muscle is to elevate the larynx and pharynx

Palatoglossus

• Arises from the aponeurosis of the soft palate and descends to the tongue in tha palatoglossal fold .

• The action of the palatoglossus is to raise the tongue in order to narrow the transverse diameter of the oropharngeal isthmus .

Musculus uvulae • Arises from the posterior nasal spine at the

back of the hard palate and from the palatine aponeurosis.

• It passes backwards and downwards to insert in to the mucosa of the uvula.

• It moves the uvula upwards and laterally and helps to complete the seal between the soft palate and pharynx when the palate is elevated.

Nerve and blood supply

• With the exception of the tensor veli palatini muscle,the nerve supply to the muscles of the palate is derived from accessory nerve via the pharyngeal plexus.

• The arterial supply to the muscles of the soft palate is derived from the facial artery (ascending palatine branch),the ascending pharyngeal artery and the maxillary artery.