Palate

Palate

The palate is the roof of the mouth separating the oral cavity from the nasal cavity and
nasopharynx.

The hard palate (C050) consists of a mucosa and periosteum (mucoperiosteum). It covers the palatine processes of the maxillary palatine bones. The submucosa and muscularis are absent from the hard palate. It is a semilunar area which extends from the inner surface of the upper
(superior) alveolar ridge to the posterior edge of the palatine bone.

The soft palate (C051) consists of mucosa, submucosa, and the underlying palatine muscles. It extends posteriorly from the edge of the hard palate to its free border. A soft tissue projection, located medially on its free border, is the uvula (C052)

Squamous cell carcinoma is the predominant cell type of the malignant tumors arising in this area

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