What landmarks are used for a greater palatine nerve block?

• A. Greater palatine foramen and junction of maxillary alveolar process and palatine bone
• B. Infraorbital foramen and zygomatic process
• C. Mental foramen and mandible
• D. Nasal cavity walls

Answer: (A)

The ability to perform a greater palatine nerve block hinges on hitting the nerve as it exits its canal onto the hard palate. The key landmarks are the greater palatine foramen, the opening through which the nerve leaves the canal, and its location at the junction where the maxillary alveolar process meets the palatine bone. By identifying this foramen and directing the injection toward it, you deposit anesthetic around the nerve as it emerges, providing numbness to the posterior hard palate and the palatal gingiva supplied by that nerve. Other landmarks point to different nerves or regions—not the greater palatine nerve—so they don’t fit this block: for example, the infraorbital foramen relates to the infraorbital nerve, the mental foramen to the inferior alveolar/mental nerve, and the nasal cavity walls aren’t used to locate the greater palatine nerve.