Verifying Relationship between Fovea Palatini, Vibrating Lines and Junction between Hard and Soft Palate

Abstract

Introduction: Locating and incorporating posterior palatal seal (PPS) in maxillary denture is an important clinical procedure for retention. The use of anterior and posterior vibrating lines, hard and soft palate junction, fovea palatini and hamular notches as references to locate PPS, are largely disputed.Objective: To verify the relationship between fovea palatini, anterior and posterior vibrating line, and hard and soft palate junction and their role in locating PPS area. Materials & Method: 50 subjects were randomly selected. In each subject, hard and soft palate junction, anterior and posterior vibrating lines and fovea palatini were located and marked. Using Vernier caliper and divider, the distance between these lines and fovea palatini were measured and assessed.Result: V44% showed fovea palatini at hard and soft palate junction, 24% between junction and anterior vibrating line/vibrating line, 6% at anterior vibrating line, 24% between anterior and posterior vibrating lines and 2% at posterior vibrating line. In 44%, hard and soft palate junction coincided with anterior vibrating line. In the rest, mean distance was 2.76 mm right, 2.38 mm mid line and 2.79 mm left. 20% subjects revealed one vibrating line; 80% subjects had two vibrating lines with the mean distance 5.55 mm on right, 6.22 mm mid line and 5.40 mm on left.Conclusion: Recording posterior palatal seal is an important clinical step thus arbitrarily scraping of the cast using fovea palatini and hamular notch as reference, should be discouraged. Locating anterior and posterior vibrating lines and using them to determine the posterior extension and PPS should be recommended.Orthodontic Journal of Nepal, Vol. 6 No. 1, June 2016, pp.32-34

Evaluating vibrating line location with respect to palatine fovea in various soft palate types

“…He stated fovea palatine to be an important landmark for locating seal of denture. Dipak 19 and coworkers randomly selected 50 individuals and found out 46% with fovea posterior to vibrating line and only 2% subject fovea coincided with vibrating line and recommended locating vibrating line method to be the effective method while placing posterior palatal seal.…”

Relation of Vibrating Line to Location of Fovea Palatinae in Local Population

“…The vibrating line makes the most posterior extension of maxillary denture base. 11 According to Boucher, fovea palatinae are always present in soft tissue and close to the vibrating line that is the best guide for the posterior denture extension. 12 The prosthodontists had consensuses about the relation between the posterior border of the maxillary denture and vibrating line.…”

“…The posterior palatal seal is three-dimensional area where pressure within tolerable limits of the tissues can be applied, to increase retention of the maxillary removable denture by providing an effective seal, prevents food entrapment under the denture base, reduces gagging, makes the palatal border of maxillary denture less problematic to the tongue. 11,15,16 The anteroposterior dimension of the posterior palatal seal is influenced by the type of soft palate which indicates the broad, medium and narrow posterior palatal seal area respectively. The soft palate is classified as 1.…”