Articular disk of the temporomandibular joint

Articular disk of the temporomandibular joint
Sagittal section of the articulation of the mandible (articular disk visible at center)
Details
Identifiers
Latin	discus articularis articulationis temporomandibularis
MeSH	D019224
TA98	A03.1.07.002
TA2	1623
FMA	57059
Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata]

The articular disk of the temporomandibular joint is a thin, oval plate made of non-vascular fibrous connective tissue located between the mandible's condyloid process and the cranium's mandibular fossa.

Its upper surface is concavo-convex from before backward, to accommodate itself to the form of the mandibular fossa and the articular tubercle. Its lower surface, in contact with the condyle, is concave. Its circumference is connected to the articular capsule, and in front to the tendon of the lateral pterygoid muscle. It is thicker at its periphery, especially behind, than at its center.

The fibers of which the disc is composed have a concentric arrangement, more apparent at the circumference than at the center. It divides the joint into two cavities, each of which is furnished with a synovial membrane.

It is attached as follows.[1]

• The anterior portion of the disc attaches inferiorly to the anterior condyle and superiorly to the eminence by bending with the joint capsule.
• Posteriorly, the disc attaches superiorly to the temporal bone and inferiorly to the posterior condyle (the posterior attachments are frequently called the bilaminar zone).
• Laterally and medially, the disc attachments blend into the joint capsule near its attachment to the condylar head.

The disc prevents the mandible from moving posteriorly.[2]

References

1. Willard, Vincent P.; Arzi, Boaz; Athanasiou, Kyriacos A. (June 2012). "The attachments of the temporomandibular joint disc: A biochemical and histological investigation". Archives of Oral Biology. 57 (6): 599–606. doi:10.1016/j.archoralbio.2011.10.004. PMC 3294030. PMID 22129470.
2. Breeland, Grant; Aktar, Aylin; Patel, Bhupendra C. (2021), "Anatomy, Head and Neck, Mandible", StatPearls, Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing, PMID 30335325, retrieved 2021-07-08

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 298 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

Further reading

• Hansson, Tore; Öberg, Torsten; Carlsson, Gunnar E; Kopp, Sigvard (2009). "Thickness of the soft tissue layers and the articular disk in the temporomandibular joint". Acta Odontologica Scandinavica. 35 (2): 77–83. doi:10.3109/00016357709055993. PMID 266827.
• Koyama, J; Ito, J; Hayashi, T; Kobayashi, F (2001). "Synovial chondromatosis in the temporomandibular joint complicated by displacement and calcification of the articular disk: Report of two cases". American Journal of Neuroradiology. 22 (6): 1203–6. PMID 11415920.
• McCarty, William L; Farrar, William B (1979). "Surgery for internal derangements of the temporomandibular joint". The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. 42 (2): 191–6. doi:10.1016/0022-3913(79)90174-4. PMID 287798.
• Fujita, Shigeyuki; Hoshino, Kazumasa (1989). "Histochemical and Immunohistochemical Studies on the Articular Disk of the Temporomandibular Joint in Rats". Cells Tissues Organs. 134 (1): 26–30. doi:10.1159/000146729. PMID 2718712.
• Hansson, Tore; Nordström, Birgitta (2009). "Thickness of the soft tissue layers and articular disk in temporomandibular joints with deviations in form". Acta Odontologica Scandinavica. 35 (6): 281–8. doi:10.3109/00016357709064126. PMID 271451.