Mucosal Coverage of Palatine Spines: CT Morphometric Analysis and Clinical Relevance

The palatine spines (PSs) form the margins of the palatal grooves (PGs) of the hard palate, which contain the greater palatine arteries and nerves. Except for one overly simplistic account in the early 1990s, there are no detailed descriptions and dimensions for the mucosa covering the PSs and grooves.

We retrospectively studied the normative morphometric features of PSs and their overlying mucosa in selected 69 patients using CT imaging. We statistically analyzed variables among the demographics, morphometrics, and several other spine characteristics, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.

Lengths of mucosal coverage for bilateral spines varied from 3.5 ± 0.9 mm to 3.7 ± 1.1 mm. There was a statistically significant sex difference for the right middle spine size, larger in men (p = 0.044). The right middle and left medial spine sizes were significantly correlated with their mucosal coverage (p = 0.003 and p = 0.021, respectively). There was also a positive correlation between the right medial spine mucosal coverage and patient age (p = 0.001).

Our detailed morphometrics will be useful for planning of procedures in the posterior hard palate, including anesthetic infiltration of the greater palatine nerve, and avoidance of neurovascular bundle damage during periodontal surgery or palatal orthodontic implant placement.