The postnatal development of the temporomandibular joint of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

The temporomandibular joints (TMJ) of 55 male and 50 female common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) with an age range of 1 day- to < 12-yr-old have been studied to extend the knowledge on the craniomandibular articulation of this primate. Details of changes in the bone structure, gross and functional anatomy, and histologic appearance of the marmoset TMJ during the neonatal period, infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood are compared with those which occur in the TMJ of man. It is concluded that further investigations on the structure and function of the marmoset TMJ and jaws may establish this nonhuman primate as a valuable analog for TMJ research in man.