Histological study of the capsular and discal insertions of the lateral pterygoid muscle

Many variations of the lateral pterygoid muscle (LPM) anatomy have been described and, because of its assumed insertions on the intra-articular disc, the muscle is supposed to pull it during mouth movements. In clinics, the LPM has been held responsible for some temporomandibular joint (TMJ) internal derangement. The aim of this study was therefore to verify the insertions of the LPM onto the disc and joint capsule, using macro-anatomical dissection of human material and histological analysis under the microscope. The results showed great variability in the measurements (percentage coefficient of variation: 25