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soft palate

 
Dictionary: soft palate

n.
The movable fold, consisting of muscular fibers enclosed in a mucous membrane, that is suspended from the rear of the hard palate and closes off the nasal cavity from the oral cavity during swallowing or sucking.


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Dental Dictionary: soft palate
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n

The structure composed of mucous membranes, muscular fibers, and mucous glands, suspended from the posterior border of the hard palate forming the roof of the mouth. When the soft palate rises, as in swallowing, it separates the nasal cavity and nasopharynx from the posterior part of the oral cavity and oral portion of the pharynx. In sucking the soft palate and posterior superior surface of the tongue occlude the oral cavity from the orapharynx, creating a posterior seal. Thus the soft palate prevents the escape of fluid and food up through the nose and with the tongue allows fluid and food to collect in the mouth until swallowed.

Veterinary Dictionary: soft palate
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The fleshy partition at the back of the mouth which separates the nasopharynx from the oropharynx and which, together with the hard palate, forms the roof of the mouth.

  • cleft s. p. — commonly the posterior part is defective but may be part of a defect involving both soft and hard palates. Manifested by difficulties in sucking or nasal regurgitation of milk and food from a young age. Often associated with entrapment of the palate by the aryepiglottic fold. See also cleft lip.
  • s. p. dislocation — see dorsal soft palate displacement (below).
  • dorsal s. p. displacement — the free edge of the soft palate is displaced from its normal position under the epiglottis to lie over the opening of the larynx causing reduction in airflow. Common only in horses.
  • elongated s. p., overlong s. p. — a common abnormality in brachycephalic dogs in which it causes inspiratory respiratory distress, gagging and coughing. The soft palate interferes with the epiglottis and glottis, particularly after it becomes inflamed and edematous. Other anomalies of the respiratory tract commonly are also present. Affected horses appear to choke, then continue to breathe through their mouth with a characteristic rattling sound. The cause and pathogenesis are unclear.
  • s. p. myositis — may contribute to soft palate paresis.
  • s. p. paresis — causes a functional pharyngeal paresis and the affected horse chokes up during exercise; often accompanies laryngeal hemiplegia.
Wikipedia: Soft palate
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Soft palate
Tonsils diagram.jpg
Gray855.png
Lateral wall of nasal cavity. (Soft palate visible in lower right)
Latin palatum molle, velum palatinum
Gray's subject #242 1112
Artery lesser palatine arteries, ascending palatine artery
Nerve pharyngeal branch of vagus nerve, medial pterygoid nerve, lesser palatine nerves
MeSH Soft+Palate

The soft palate (or velum, or muscular palate) is the soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is distinguished from the hard palate at the front of the mouth in that it does not contain bone.

Contents

Function

The soft palate is movable, consisting of muscle fibers sheathed in mucous membrane. It is responsible for closing off the nasal passages during the act of swallowing, and also for closing off the airway. During sneezing, it protects the nasal passage by diverting a portion of the excreted substance to the mouth.

The uvula, hanging from the end of the soft palate, is responsible for the sound of snoring. Touching the uvula or the end of the soft palate evokes a strong gag reflex in most people.

Speech

A speech sound made with the dorsum of the tongue touching the soft palate is known as a velar consonant.

It is possible for the soft palate to retract and elevate during speech to separate the oral cavity (mouth) from the nasal cavity in order to produce the oral speech sounds. If this separation is incomplete, air escapes through the nose, causing speech to be perceived as nasal.


Muscles of soft palate

Muscle Action Nerve
levator veli palatini deglutition Vagus nerve via pharyngeal plexus
tensor veli palatini deglutition mandibular nerve
palatoglossus respiration Vagus nerve via pharyngeal plexus
palatopharyngeus respiration Vagus nerve via pharyngeal plexus
musculus uvulae moves uvula Vagus nerve via pharyngeal plexus

Additional images

See also

External links


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Dental Dictionary. Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Soft palate" Read more