Temporomandibular joint ankylosis: a case report

This report is based on a case of temporomandibular joint ankylosis discovered in a cadaver during routine student dissection in the Department of Anatomy at Tokyo Dental College. Extensive osseous ankylosis in the left temporomandibular joint was evident in this case which exhibited a distinctive bird-like facial deformity caused by a mandibular growth disorder. This resulted in the underdevelopment of the mental area in particular. Furthermore, abnormally enlarged antegonal notching was present along the inferior border of the mandible anterior to the angle. Both these manifestations indicated the likelihood that the ankylosis had contributed to the abnormalities and had commenced at an early stage of skeletal development.