Anatomy of the Temporomandibular Joint

doi:10.1053/j.sult.2007.02.002

Seminars in Ultrasound, CT and MRI

Volume 28, Issue 3, June 2007, Pages 170-183

https://doi.org/10.1053/j.sult.2007.02.002 Get rights and content

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ), also known as the mandibular joint, is an ellipsoid variety of the right and left synovial joints forming a bicondylar articulation. The common features of the synovial joints exhibited by this joint include a fibrous capsule, a disk, synovial membrane, fluid, and tough adjacent ligaments. Not only is the mandible a single bone but the cranium is also mechanically a single stable component; therefore, the correct terminology for the joint is the craniomandibular articulation. The term temporomandibular joint is misleading and seems to only refer to one side when referring to joint function. Magnetic resonance imaging has been shown to accurately delineate the structures of the TMJ and is the best technique to correlate and compare the TMJ components such as bone, disk, fluid, capsule, and ligaments with autopsy specimens.

Section snippets

Mandibular Component

This component consists of an ovoid condylar process seated atop a narrow mandibular neck. It is 15 to 20 mm side to side and 8 to 10 mm from front to back. Thus, if the long axes of two condyles are extended medially, they meet at approximately the basion on the anterior limit of the foramen magnum, forming an angle that opens toward the front ranging from 145° to 160° (Fig. 1). The lateral pole of the condyle is rough, bluntly pointed, and projects only moderately from the plane of ramus,

Collateral Ligaments of the Bilateral Jaw Joints

The ligament on each side of the jaw is designed in two distinct layers. The wide outer or superficial layer is usually fan-shaped and arises from the outer surface of the articular tubercle and most of the posterior part of the zygomatic arch. There is often a roughened, raised bony ridge of attachment on this area. The ligamentous fascicles run obliquely downward and backward to be inserted on the back, behind, and below the mandibular neck. Immediately medial to this layer, a narrow

Technical Note

We obtained parasagittal, paracoronal, and axial MR images of fresh, asymptomatic TMJ autopsy specimens and compared the MR images with corresponding parasagittal, paracoronal, and axial cryosections of the joints. The specimens were taken from cadavers with a cosed-jaw intercuspal position based on natural teeth.

MR imaging was performed with a 1.5-T MR imaging system (Excelart, Toshiba, San Francisco Inc) with the body coil as transmitter and the 6.5 cm diameter dedicated to the TMJ surface

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Anatomy of the Temporomandibular Joint

Section snippets

Mandibular Component

Collateral Ligaments of the Bilateral Jaw Joints

Technical Note

J Am Dent Assoc

J Prosthet Dent

Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol

Br J Oral Surg

Medical Dictionary

Anatomy of temporomandibular joint?A review

J Anat Soc India