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66 The mouth, palate and nose

Fungiform papillae

Filiform papillae

Vallate papillae

Foramen caecum
Palatoglossal fold
Lingual lymphatic
Fig.66.1 tissue ('Lingual tonsil')
The upper surface of the tongue Opening of
frontal sinus
Openings of
ethmoidal sinuses
Frontal sinus Opening of
sphenoidal sinus

Cut superior and
middle conchae
Bulla ethmoidalis
Adenoid
Hiatus
semilunaris Tubal elevation

Inferior concha Opening of
Opening of auditory tube
maxillary sinus
Fig.66.2
The lateral wall of the nasal cavity

The hard palate is formed by the palatal process of the maxilla and the fauces. They separate the mouth from the oropharynx and between
horizontal plate of the palatine bone. The soft palate hangs like a cur- them is the tonsillar fossa.
tain behind the mouth cavity.
The nerve supply of the pharynx
Muscles The pharyngeal plexus is a plexus of nerves formed by:
• Levator palati: elevates the palate. • The pharyngeal branch of the vagus, which includes the cranial
• Tensor palati: tenses the palate. These two muscles move the soft root of the accessory. This provides the motor supply to the muscles
palate so that it moves towards the back wall of the oropharynx where except for the tensor palati which is supplied by the mandibular divi-
it meets a part of the superior constrictor which contracts strongly sion of the trigeminal.
to form a ridgeathe ridge of Passavant. The mouth and nasal cavi- • The glossopharyngeal nerve, which provides the sensory supply to
ties are thus separated so that food does not regurgitate into the nose the pharynx.
and so as to be able to pronounce the palatal consonants such as ‘g’ • Branches from the sympathetic trunk.
and ‘k’.
• Palatoglossus and palatopharyngeus: these pass downwards from The nerve supply of the palate
the palate to the side of the tongue and the inside of the pharynx, respect- The palate is supplied by the greater and lesser palatine and the
ively. They raise two ridges, the palatoglossal and palatopharyngeal nasopalatine nerves from the maxillary division of the trigeminal
arches, that are also called the anterior and posterior pillars of the (Fig. 57.2). These nerves also supply the inner surface of the gums.
146 Head and neck