Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology
Published on: August 22, 2022
Fetal jaw movement affects development of articular disk in the temporomandibular joint
Hasina Habib1, Toshihisa Hatta, Omar Ibna Faizur Rahman
1Yamagata Dhaka Friendship Hospital, Lalmatia, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Abstract:
Previous studies suggest that jaw movement is an important factor in the development of cartilage in the temporomandibular joint during the prenatal and postnatal periods. In the present study, the effects of fetal jaw movement on the articular disk were studied in mice by restraining the opening movement of the mouth using the mouse exo utero development system. At embryonic day 18.5, the articular disk was reduced in size in the embryos whose maxilla and mandible were sutured (sutured group) and there were changes in the cellular morphology of the mesenchymal cells in the disk. The volume of the articular disk, the total number of cells and the number of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine-positive cells in the articular disk were significantly lower in the sutured group than in the non-sutured control group. Our data revealed that fetal jaw movement affects the development of the articular disk in the temporomandibular joint.
Related Concept Videos
Development of the Limb Synovial Joints
The mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into chondrocytes that form the hyaline cartilage, and later the cartilaginous model of the bone. This model further transforms into a bone. This process is known as endochondral ossification.
During development, the limbs...
Bone Formation by Intramembranous Ossification
The process begins when mesenchymal cells in the embryonic skeleton gather together and differentiate into osteogenic cells, which then develop into...
Articulations of the Vertebral Column
Introduction to Joints
Sutures of the Skull
Sutures are immobile joints between adjacent bones of the skull. The narrow gap between the bones is filled with dense, fibrous connective tissue that unites the bones. The long sutures located between the skull bones are not straight but instead follow irregular, tightly twisting paths. These twisting lines tightly...
Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age
Initially, the limb buds consist of a core of mesenchyme covered by a layer of ectoderm. The ectoderm at the end of the limb bud thickens to form a narrow crest called the apical ectodermal ridge. This ridge stimulates the underlying...

