Laboratory 34.
Oral Cavity
Step 3.
The Hard Palate
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Examine the
hard palate
[
frontal section
] which separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. The hard palate forms approximately two-thirds of the palate anteriorly. It is formed by the
palatine processes of the maxillary bones
[cross-section] and
horizontal plates of the palatine bones
[cross-section]. The mucosal lining of the hard palate is innervated by branches of the greater palatine nerve.
They enter the region of the hard palate via the
greater palatine canal
[cross-section].
The nasopalatine nerve enters the hard palate region via the incisive canal
[cross-section].
