| Abstract: | This article presents an anthropologic study of the growth and developmental changes that occur within the bony components of the temporomandibular joint. The material used was provided by the Department of Physical Anthropology of the Smithsonian Institution Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.Based on a Class I normal occlusion, the authors selected a total of 100 skulls with mandibles from the Aleutian Islands collection. These skulls, which were from 2-to 20-year-old subjects, were divided into four age groups. The approximate age of each skull was determined by charts based on eruption sequence, the number of permanent teeth present, and suture closure.Anatomic landmarks and anthropologic techniques were used to make direct linear measurements on the bony components of the 200 temporomandibular joints. Three-dimensional measurements were made on the condyles, fossae, and articular eminences of each skull.Several variables were chosen for statistical analysis: (1) The size of the individual components of the TMJ within each age group. (2) The changes with age in the anteroposterior, medial-lateral, and vertical dimensions of the individual TMJ components. (3) Asymmetries in size between the right and the left TMJ components. (4) The interrelationship of the individual TMJ components as seen in their growth changes.The results obtained from the various measurements used in this study were compared to the findings of a number of earlier studies. |
