Greater palatine foramen


At either posterior angle of the hard palate is the greater palatine foramen, for the transmission of the descending palatine vessels and greater palatine nerve; and running anteriorly and medially from it is a groove, for the same vessels and nerve.

Variations

The greater palatine foramen is related to the upper 3rd molar tooth in most of the skulls, 2nd molar in, between the 2nd and 3rd molar in and retromolar in. The shape of the foramen is elongated antero-posteriorly; however, an unusually crescent shaped foramen is rare.