Anatomical variation in position of the greater palatine foramen in the adult human skull.

Sixty-five Nigerian and 34 Indian adult human skulls with full eruption of the 3rd molar teeth were examined to ascertain the location of the greater palatine foramen. The location of the foramen from the posterior border of the hard palate was quite consistent, being 0.35 cm in Nigerian and 0.37 cm in Indian skulls. The usually accepted description as opposite the upper 2nd molar was observed for only 13.1% of foramina in Nigerian skulls. The most common position of the foramen was found to be medial or opposite the 3rd maxillary molar, the next most common being between the 2nd and 3rd maxillary molars. The direction of opening of the foramen into the oral cavity was inferiorly in an anteromedial direction in 58.5% Nigerian and 91.1% Indian skulls. In 38.5% Nigerian skulls the opening was in an anterolateral direction. A bilaterally symmetric bony projection extending from the posterior margin of the foramen was observed in 24.6% of the Nigerian and 35.3% of Indian skulls. The palatal vault of was U-shaped in all instances, its height varying from flat to 0.3-0.8 cm.