Human Anatomy
Mouth, Pharynx and Palate
Mouth, pharynx and palate for MBBS: pharyngeal constrictors, soft palate muscles, palatine tonsil, Waldeyer's ring and deglutition, mapped to NMC codes AN36.1 to AN36.5.
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Mouth, Pharynx and Palate
Mouth, pharynx and palate for MBBS: pharyngeal constrictors, soft palate muscles, palatine tonsil, Waldeyer's ring and deglutition, mapped to NMC codes AN36.1 to AN36.5.
The mouth, pharynx and palate chapter follows the passage shared by food and air, covering the three parts of the pharynx, the constrictor and palatine muscles and the palatine tonsil. It underpins the anatomy of swallowing, tonsillectomy and the pharyngeal pouch.
High-yield: Mouth, Pharynx and Palate
- The pharynx is divided into the nasopharynx, oropharynx and laryngopharynx from above downward.
- The pharyngeal wall has three constrictor muscles, superior, middle and inferior, that propel food during swallowing.
- The constrictors are supplied by the pharyngeal plexus, whose motor fibres come from the vagus nerve.
- The stylopharyngeus is supplied by the glossopharyngeal nerve and is the only pharyngeal muscle it supplies.
- Killian's dehiscence is a weak area between the two parts of the inferior constrictor where a pharyngeal pouch may form.
- The soft palate is elevated by levator veli palatini to close off the nasopharynx during swallowing and speech.
- All the palatine muscles are supplied by the vagus through the pharyngeal plexus except tensor veli palatini, which is supplied by the mandibular nerve.
- The palatine tonsil lies in the tonsillar fossa between the palatoglossal and palatopharyngeal arches.
- The tonsil is supplied mainly by the tonsillar branch of the facial artery, so tonsillar bleeding can be brisk.
- The paratonsillar vein and the glossopharyngeal nerve lie close to the tonsil bed and are at risk in tonsillectomy.
- Waldeyer's ring of lymphoid tissue guards the openings of the pharynx and includes the tonsils and adenoids.
- The auditory tube opens into the nasopharynx and allows middle ear pressure to equalise.
- The gag reflex has its sensory limb through the glossopharyngeal nerve and its motor limb through the vagus.
- The hard palate is formed by the palatine processes of the maxillae and the horizontal plates of the palatine bones.
Nerve supply of the pharynx and palate
- **Pharyngeal muscles:** Motor supply from the vagus via the pharyngeal plexus, except stylopharyngeus by the glossopharyngeal nerve.
- **Palatine muscles:** Vagus via the pharyngeal plexus, except tensor veli palatini by the mandibular nerve.
- **Palatine tonsil:** Supplied mainly by the tonsillar branch of the facial artery. Bed related to the glossopharyngeal nerve.
- **Killian's dehiscence:** Weak area in the inferior constrictor where a pharyngeal pouch forms.
NMC competencies in this chapter
- **AN36.1:** Parts and walls of the pharynx and pharyngeal constrictors
- **AN36.2:** Muscles and nerve supply of the soft palate
- **AN36.3:** Palatine tonsil: bed, blood supply and applied anatomy
- **AN36.4:** Waldeyer's ring and lymphatic drainage
- **AN36.5:** Mechanism of deglutition and applied anatomy
Frequently Asked Questions
Which muscle is not supplied by the vagus in the palate?
Tensor veli palatini is supplied by the mandibular nerve, while every other muscle of the soft palate is supplied by the vagus through the pharyngeal plexus.
Why can a pharyngeal pouch form at Killian's dehiscence?
This gap between the thyropharyngeus and cricopharyngeus parts of the inferior constrictor is a point of weakness where the mucosa can herniate under swallowing pressure.
Why is tonsillectomy bleeding a concern?
The palatine tonsil is supplied chiefly by the tonsillar branch of the facial artery, and the paratonsillar vein lies in its bed, so the operation can bleed briskly.
How does this chapter help in NEET-PG?
Pharyngeal nerve supply, the tonsil bed and deglutition are common ENT topics, so this anatomy carries directly into PG questions.
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