Dorlands
/Elsevier f_12/12373477 FMA 53173 | TA A02.1.00.058 | |
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Latin foramen palatinum majus | ||
At either posterior angle of the hard palate is the greater palatine foramen, for the transmission of the descending palatine vessels and greater palatine nerve; and running anteriorly (forward) and medially (towards the center-line) from it is a groove, for the same vessels and nerve.
Variations
The greater palatine foramen (GPF) is related to the upper 3rd molar tooth in most of the skulls (55%), 2nd molar in (12%), between the 2nd and 3rd molar in (19%) and retromolar in (14%). The shape of the foramen is elongated antero-posteriorly; however, an unusually crescent shaped foramen is rare.
References
Greater palatine foramen Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA