Britannica AI Icon

Quick Summary

The hard palate is the bony, front part of the roof of your mouth, separating your oral and nasal cavities. It is covered by a mucous membrane that helps grip food during chewing and provides a rigid floor for the nasal cavity. The hard palate is continuous with the soft palate, which is made of muscle and connective tissue and forms the rear part of the roof of the mouth. Together, they form the palate. The hard palate's primary role is structural, providing a firm surface and separation between the mouth and nasal passages.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
3 Britannica Sources
  1. hard palate
  2. soft palate
  3. palate

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.