[Morphologic survey of temporomandibular joint an autopsy investigation].

OBJECTIVES: Understanding the functional structure of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) will be advantageous for us to study the relationship between the occlusal movement and its morphology, and it also will be beneficial for operators of arthroscopy to grasp the relationship between the scope of operation and adjacent landmarks. METHODS: We dissected and measured the TMJ of seven cadavers to study the sizes of condyle and fossa, the oblique angles of their bevel faces and the oblique angles of bevel face of condyle with disc, the distances from midpoint of posterior tragus and cartilage of external auditory canal to the anterior and posterior recess walls. RESULTS: The parameters of the anatomic relationship between condyle, disc, fossa, superior joint space of TMJ and adjacent landmarks were recorded. CONCLUSION: (1) Articular disc coordinates condyle and articular fossa, and increases the condyle anterior bevel's slope which makes them more stable; (2) Transverse ridge of condyle contacts with fossa on point and plane which make lateral motion of condyle more agile; (3) It is important parameter for an operator of arthroscopy to control the depth and range of puncture that measured the distances between anterior and posterior recess walls of upper space in TMJ, the distances from anterior and posterior recess walls to midpoint of posterior tragus and cartilage of external auditory canal, and the size of fossa; Morphology of TMJ is changing with age.