The horizontal plate of palatine bone is a quadrilateral part of the

palatine bone In anatomy, the palatine bones (; derived from the Latin ''palatum'') are two irregular bones of the facial skeleton in many animal species, located above the uvula in the throat. Together with the maxilla, they comprise the hard palate. Stru ...

, and has two surfaces and four borders.

Surfaces

The superior surface, concave from side to side, forms the back part of the floor of the

nasal cavity The nasal cavity is a large, air-filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face. The nasal septum divides the cavity into two cavities, also known as fossae. Each cavity is the continuation of one of the two nostrils. The nas ...

. The inferior surface, slightly concave and rough, forms, with the corresponding surface of the opposite bone, the posterior fourth of the

hard palate The hard palate is a thin horizontal bony plate made up of two bones of the facial skeleton, located in the roof of the mouth. The bones are the palatine process of the maxilla and the horizontal plate of palatine bone. The hard palate spans ...

. Near its posterior margin may be seen a more or less marked transverse ridge for the attachment of part of the

aponeurosis An aponeurosis (; : aponeuroses) is a flattened tendon by which muscle attaches to bone or fascia. Aponeuroses exhibit an ordered arrangement of collagen fibres, thus attaining high tensile strength in a particular direction while being vulnerable ...

of the

tensor veli palatini The tensor veli palatini muscle (tensor palati or tensor muscle of the velum palatinum) is a thin, triangular muscle of the head that tenses the soft palate and opens the Eustachian tube to equalise pressure in the middle ear. Structure The te ...

Borders

The anterior border is serrated. It articulates with the palatine process of maxilla. The posterior border is concave, free, and serves for the attachment of the

soft palate The soft palate (also known as the velum, palatal velum, or muscular palate) is, in mammals, the soft biological tissue, tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is part of the palate of the mouth; the other part is ...

. Its medial end is sharp and pointed, and, when united with that of the opposite bone, forms a projecting process, the

posterior nasal spine The posterior nasal spine is part of the horizontal plate of the palatine bone of the skull. It is found at the medial end of its posterior border. It is paired with the corresponding palatine bone to form a solid spine. It is the attachment of t ...

for the attachment of the musculus uvulae. The lateral border is united with the lower margin of the perpendicular plate, and is grooved by the lower end of the

greater palatine canal The greater palatine canal (or pterygopalatine canal) is a passage in the skull that transmits the descending palatine artery, vein, and greater and lesser palatine nerves between the pterygopalatine fossa and the oral cavity. Structure The gre ...

. The medial border, the thickest, is serrated for articulation with its fellow of the opposite side; its superior edge is raised into a ridge, which, united with the ridge of the opposite bone, forms the nasal crest for articulation with the posterior part of the lower edge of the

vomer The vomer (; ) is one of the unpaired facial bones of the skull. It is located in the midsagittal line, and articulates with the sphenoid, the ethmoid, the left and right palatine bones, and the left and right maxillary bones. The vomer forms ...

Additional images

File:Gray187.png, Base of skull. Inferior surface. File:Gray196.png, Roof, floor, and lateral wall of left nasal cavity. File:Gray996.png, Permanent teeth of upper dental arch, seen from below. File:Horizontal plate.jpg, Horizontal plate

References

External links

{{Authority control Bones of the head and neck