Does palatal morphology influence the bone and soft tissue thickness of anterior hard palate?

Purpose This study aimed to investigate the influence of palatal morphology on the thickness of bone and soft tissue of the hard palate in adults using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).Materials and methods The study sample included 82 adult CBCT scans (31 men; 51 women) aged 18 to 58 years (mean age 24.9 ± 9.39). Measurements included palate length, palatal height, and anterior and posterior palatal width. Palate bone thickness (PBT) and palate soft tissue thickness (PST) were quantified in the anteroposterior direction at 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 mm from the incisive foramen, and in the mediolateral direction at the midpalatal suture, 3 and 6 mm bilaterally. This resulted in 60 measurements per tomographic image (30 for PBT; 30 for PST). Statistical assessment was performed using univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses, with a significance level set at 5%.Results Palate length influenced PBT in the anterior palate region, while palatal height affected PST in the anterior paramedian region. Anterior palatal width influenced both PBT and PST at certain points, while posterior palatal width influenced PBT in the paramedian region at 3 mm from the midpalatal suture, and PST across the entire palate.Conclusions Palatal height and length demonstrated positive correlations with bone thickness at certain anterior parts. Anterior palatal width was statistically related to bone thickness at more sites than the posterior width.