Anatomical variation and morphology in the position of the palatine foramina in adult human skulls from Greece

Objective: To investigate the anatomical variability of the palatine structures in Greek population. Material and methods: 71 Greek adult dry human skulls were examined to detect the position of the greater palatine (GPF) and lesser palatine foramina (LPF) related to adjacent anatomical landmarks. Results: The perpendicular distance of the GPF to the midline sagittal suture was 1.53 cm and 0.3 cm from the inner border of the alveolar ridge. The mean distance from the posterior palatal border was consistent 0.46 cm on the right and 0.47 cm on the left side of the skulls. In the greater majority of the skulls (76.2%), the GPF were between proximal-distal surfaces of the 3rd maxillary molar. A single LPF was observed in 53.45% of the skulls, two LPF were observed in 31% of the skulls bilaterally and five LPF were rare (2.1%). The commonest position of LPF was at the junction of the palatine bone and the inner lamella of the pterygoid plate (71.9%). Conclusion: Our results can help clinicians localize the palatine foramina in patients with and without maxillary molars and to predict the depth of a needle to anaesthetise the maxillary nerve with greater success when performing surgical procedures in the hard and soft palate. (C) 2011 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery.