Palatine Bones

A common mistake that most anatomy students make when studying the palatine bones is thinking that they make up the entire palate. While the two fused L-shaped bones contribute to the palate, they only form the posterior section, as the palate is primarily formed by the maxilla. Besides the horizontal plates that form the palate there are vertical extensions that extend from the lateral borders of the horizontal plates forming the L-shape. This vertical portion forms the posterior part of the lateral wall of the nasal cavity articulating with the inferior concha bone; another part forms a very small part of the orbital floor between the ethmoid and maxillary bones. It also articulates with the sphenoid bone posterior to the medial pterygoid plate and actually shares some of the attachment of the medial pterygoid muscle.