Anatomy

The Palate The palate forms the arched roof of the mouth and the floor of the nasal cavities. The palate consists of two regions: the anterior 2/3 or bony part, called the hard palate, and the mobile posterior 1/3 or fibromuscular part, known as the soft palate.   The Hard Palate The anterior bony part of the palate is formed by the palatine process of the maxillae and the horizontal plates of the palatine bones. Anteriorly and la…

Nerve Supply of the Muscles of the Orbit (pp. 715-6) Three cranial nerves supply the muscles of the eyeball; the oculomotor (CN III), trochlear (CN IV) and abducent (CN IV) nerves. All three enter the orbit via the superior orbital fissure. The trochlear nerve supplies the superior oblique muscle. The abducent nerve supplies the lateral rectus muscle. The oculomotor nerve supplies everything else. A mnemonic that is used is this formula f…

The Muscles of Facial Expression These lie in the subcutaneous tissue and are attached to the skin of the face. They enable us to move our skin and change our facial expression. They produce their effects by pulling on the skin but do not move the facial skeleton. These muscles surround the facial orifices and act as sphincters and dilators. All facial muscles receive their innervation from the branches of the facial nerve (CN VII)-temporal, zygomatic, b…

The Frontalis Muscle The frontalis muscle is part of the scalp muscle called the occipitalfrontalis. The frontalis elevates the forehead, giving the face a surprised look, and produces transverse wrinkles in the forehead when one frowns.…

The Nose The nose is the superior part of the respiratory tract and contains the peripheral organ of smell. It is divided into right and left nasal cavities by the nasal septum. The nasal cavity is divided into the olfactory area and the respiratory area.…