Study to examine diverse locations of greater palatine foramen in dry human skulls

Abstract

Greater palatine foramen gives passage to greater palatine nerve which innervates posterior part of hard palate. Anesthetic block is given to greater palatine nerve for surgical procedures over upper molar, maxillary sinus & nasal region. In this study, we measured the location of greater palatine foramen (GPF), according to clinically identifiable anatomical landmarks. All measurements were taken bilaterally & directly on dry human skulls. Observations were recorded in millimeters, using a digital vernier caliper. After the data collection, data were analyzed using the standard statistical software (SPSS). The situation of the GPF in relation to 3maxillary molar was in 25% of the skulls. The average values of the distance between the GPF & midline palatine suture (MPS) & posterior border of hard palate (PBHP) were 15.9 mm (SD 1.2) & 5.9 mm (SD 1.1), respectively.: Diverse locations of greater palatine foramen arouse difficulties in locating exact position during anaesthesia. Therefore, understanding the different positions of greater palatine foramen can help surgeons to improve their surgical procedures.