Palate
The roof of the mouth. The front portion is bony (hard palate), and the back portion is muscular (soft palate).
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- Palate, cleft
An opening in the roof of the mouth due to a failure of the palatal shelves to come fully together from either side of the mouth and fuse during the first months of development as an embryo. The opening in the palate permits communication between the nasal passages and the mouth. Surgery is needed to […]
- Palate, hard
The bony part of the roof of the mouth. The hard palate is just in front of the soft palate.
- Palate, soft
The muscular part of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is directly behind the hard palate. It lacks bone and so is soft.
- Palatine
Anatomically, pertaining to the palate. For example, the palatine bone.
- Palatine bone
A bone behind the maxilla which enters into the formation of the hard palate (hence, the name “palatine”), the nasal cavity, and the floor of the orbit.