EXPERIMENTAL DEGENERATIVE TEMPOROMANDIBULAR-JOINT DISEASE

As a possible cause of osteoarthrotic changes of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), trauma has often been suggested in the literature. Very few authors have tried to test the reliability of this theory by anima l experiments. Sixty Wistar albino rats, divided into two main groups, were used in this investigation. In the first group of 10 rats, a tra uma of the articular cartilage was inflicted. In the second group, sma ll defects were made on different segments of the articular disk only, avoiding damage to the remaining components of the TMJ. The traumas o f the articular cartilage almost completely healed within the experime ntal period. When the disk was damaged, besides degeneration of the di sk itself, changes of the condylar head, similar to changes observed i n arthrotic human material, were found.