Condylar cartilage: a scanning electron microscope study of anorganic mammalian condyles

The mandibular condyles of four mammalian species (sheep, cat, monkey, and human) were rendered anorganic in NaOCl and examined by SEM. A mineralized cartilage front was identified in all specimens on the basis of a comparable morphology of chondrocyte lacunae and a calcospheritic pattern of mineralization. Species-specific differences in the cartilage surfaces were found to exist. The role of this cartilage in condylar remodeling and pathology is discussed. Attention is drawn to the fact that mineralized cartilage was identified on the articular aspect of all adult mammalian anorganic condyles examined.