BoneIrregular bone

Palatine bone

Latin: Os palatinum sinistrum

Location: Skull — hard palate and posterior nasal cavity

Paired structure: one on the left and one on the right side of the body.

Function

Completes the posterior hard palate and the lateral nasal wall. Its foramina deliver the greater and lesser palatine nerves and vessels that anaesthetists target in palatal blocks.

Landmarks

Horizontal plate
Perpendicular plate
Pyramidal process
Greater and lesser palatine foramina

Articulations (joints)

Maxilla
Sphenoid bone
Ethmoid bone
Vomer
Inferior nasal concha
Right palatine bone

Clinical relevance

Cleft palate may involve the palatine plates; greater palatine artery bleeding is a risk in Le Fort I osteotomies.

Educational anatomy reference, not medical advice. About this content.