Morphology of the mandibular condyle in "toothless" osteopetrotic (op/op) mice

The defective bone resorption in the osteopetrotic op/op mouse brings about cranio-facial deformation and failure of tooth eruption. This study was conducted to elucidate the morphological changes of the condylar head and mandibular ramus in growing op/op mice. In normal mice, the condylar head is much broader than the ramus beneath it, enlargement and ossification of the condylar head begin after weaning, and the ramus becomes compact bone tissue. None of these changes were found in the op/op mice in the present observation. The condylar head was small, and its inner side was occupied by hypertrophic cartilage cells. In spite of the lack of bone resorption in op/op mice, the compaction of the mandibular ramus, which was composed of bone trabeculae, occurred later than that in normal mice. In view of recently studies reported evidence that local mechanical stress regulates the bone formation, we consider that undergrowth of the condylar head and the ramus in the op/op mouse results from not only a deficiency of osteoclasts but also insufficient mechanical stress from mastication.