Incisive foramen

Incisive foramen
Incisive foramen
	The bony palate and alveolar arch.
Details
Part of	hard palate
Identifiers
Latin	foramen incisivum
TA98	A02.1.00.060
TA2	464
FMA	57737 75305, 57737
	Anatomical terms of bone [edit on Wikidata]

In the human mouth, the incisive foramen, also called anterior palatine foramen, or nasopalatine foramen, is a funnel-shaped opening in the bone of the oral hard palate. It is immediately behind the incisor teeth. The incisive foramen is continuous with the incisive canal, located behind the central incisor teeth in the incisive fossa of the maxilla. It allows for blood vessels and nerves to pass. It is also used as a landmark for defining the severity of cleft lip and cleft palate. It can be found in a variety of species.

Structure[]

The incisive foramen is a funnel-shaped opening in the bone of the oral hard palate.^[1] It is immediately behind the incisor teeth.^[1] It is also between the premaxillae on each side.^[1] It is continuous with the incisive canal, located behind the central incisor teeth in the incisive fossa of the maxilla.^[1]

Function[]

The incisive foramen allows for blood vessels and nerves to pass. These include:

the pterygoopalatine nerves to the hard palate.^[1]
the nasopalatine nerves from the floor of the nasal cavity.^[2]
the sopalatine branches of the infratrochlear nerve, a branch of the ophthalmic nerve (V1), itself a branch of the trigeminal nerve.^[3]
the sphenopalatine artery supplying the mucous membrane covering the hard palate of the mouth.^[2]
the draining the mucous membrane covering the hard palate of the mouth.

Clinical significance[]

As many nerves exit the incisive canal at the incisive foramen, it may be used for injection of local anaesthetic.^[2]

When plain radiographs are taken of the mouth, the incisive foramen may be mistaken for a periapical lesion.^[4]

The incisive foramen can be used as a landmark when describing cleft lip and cleft palate, which can either extend in front of (primary) or behind (secondary) the foramen.^[5]^[6] It is also important as a surgical landmark to avoid damaging its nerves and vascular structures.^[2]

History[]

The incisive foramen is also known as the anterior palatine foramen,^[4] the nasopalatine foramen, and the incisive fossa.

Other animals[]

In many other species, the incisive foramina allow for passage of ducts to the vomeronasal organ.^[1] It can be found in cats,^[5] and alligators.^[7]

Additional images[]

Inferior surface of base of skull
Incisive fossa

References[]

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 162 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Maynard, Robert Lewis; Downes, Noel (2019-01-01). "10 - Nasal Cavity". Anatomy and Histology of the Laboratory Rat in Toxicology and Biomedical Research. Academic Press. pp. 109–121. ISBN 978-0-12-811837-5.CS1 maint: date and year (link)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Tomaszewska, Iwona M.; Popieluszko, Patrick; Tomaszewski, Krzysztof A.; Walocha, Jerzy A. (2019), Iwanaga, Joe; Tubbs, R. Shane (eds.), "Anatomy and Variations of the Incisive Foramen", Anatomical Variations in Clinical Dentistry, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 117–123, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-97961-8_11, ISBN 978-3-319-97961-8, retrieved 2021-09-16
^ Moskovitz, Joshua B.; Choi, Andrew (2015). "11 - Regional Nerve Blocks of the Head and Neck". Nerves and nerve injuries. 1 - History, embryology, anatomy, imaging, and diagnostics. Amsterdam: Academic Press. pp. 147–151. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-410390-0.00011-1. ISBN 978-0-12-410447-1. OCLC 908128669.
^ ^a ^b Gorrel, Cecilia; Andersson, Susanne; Verhaert, Leen (2013-01-01). "7 - Dental radiography". Veterinary Dentistry for the General Practitioner (2nd ed.). Saunders. pp. 67–80. doi:10.1016/B978-0-7020-4943-9.00012-0. ISBN 978-0-7020-4943-9.CS1 maint: date and year (link)
^ ^a ^b Rochette, Judy (2016). "103 - Disorders and Normal Variations of the Oral Cavity of Kittens and Senior Cats". August's Consultations in Feline Internal Medicine. 7. Saunders. pp. 1024–1033. doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-22652-3.00103-1. ISBN 978-0-323-22652-3.
^ Mitchell, Barry S.; Sharma, Ram (2009). "11 - Development of the head and neck, the eye and ear". Embryology (2nd ed.). Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. pp. 63–72. doi:10.1016/B978-0-7020-3225-7.50014-2. ISBN 978-0-7020-3225-7. OCLC 245507391.
^ De Iuliis, Gerardo; Pulerà, Dino (2011-01-01). "8 - Reptile Skulls and Mandibles". The Dissection of Vertebrates (2nd ed.). Academic Press. pp. 253–285. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-375060-0.00008-5. ISBN 978-0-12-375060-0.CS1 maint: date and year (link)

External links[]

Anatomy figure: 22:4b-01 at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center

[:0-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Maynard, Robert Lewis; Downes, Noel (2019-01-01). "10 - Nasal Cavity". Anatomy and Histology of the Laboratory Rat in Toxicology and Biomedical Research. Academic Press. pp. 109–121. ISBN 978-0-12-811837-5.CS1 maint: date and year (link)

[:3-2] Tomaszewska, Iwona M.; Popieluszko, Patrick; Tomaszewski, Krzysztof A.; Walocha, Jerzy A. (2019), Iwanaga, Joe; Tubbs, R. Shane (eds.), "Anatomy and Variations of the Incisive Foramen", Anatomical Variations in Clinical Dentistry, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 117–123, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-97961-8_11, ISBN 978-3-319-97961-8, retrieved 2021-09-16

[3] Moskovitz, Joshua B.; Choi, Andrew (2015). "11 - Regional Nerve Blocks of the Head and Neck". Nerves and nerve injuries. 1 - History, embryology, anatomy, imaging, and diagnostics. Amsterdam: Academic Press. pp. 147–151. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-410390-0.00011-1. ISBN 978-0-12-410447-1. OCLC 908128669.

[:1-4] Gorrel, Cecilia; Andersson, Susanne; Verhaert, Leen (2013-01-01). "7 - Dental radiography". Veterinary Dentistry for the General Practitioner (2nd ed.). Saunders. pp. 67–80. doi:10.1016/B978-0-7020-4943-9.00012-0. ISBN 978-0-7020-4943-9.CS1 maint: date and year (link)

[:2-5] Rochette, Judy (2016). "103 - Disorders and Normal Variations of the Oral Cavity of Kittens and Senior Cats". August's Consultations in Feline Internal Medicine. 7. Saunders. pp. 1024–1033. doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-22652-3.00103-1. ISBN 978-0-323-22652-3.

[6] Mitchell, Barry S.; Sharma, Ram (2009). "11 - Development of the head and neck, the eye and ear". Embryology (2nd ed.). Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. pp. 63–72. doi:10.1016/B978-0-7020-3225-7.50014-2. ISBN 978-0-7020-3225-7. OCLC 245507391.

[7] De Iuliis, Gerardo; Pulerà, Dino (2011-01-01). "8 - Reptile Skulls and Mandibles". The Dissection of Vertebrates (2nd ed.). Academic Press. pp. 253–285. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-375060-0.00008-5. ISBN 978-0-12-375060-0.CS1 maint: date and year (link)

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