Biomechanical behaviour of temporomandibular joints during opening and closing of the mouth: A 3D finite element analysis

Abstract

Temporomandibular joints (TMJs) constitute a pair of joints that connect the jawbone to the skull. TMJs are bilateral joints which work as one unit in conducting daily functions such as speaking, mastication, and other activities associated with the movement of the jaw. Issues associated with the TMJs may arise due to various factors—one such factor being the internal load on the TMJ. These issues may contribute to temporomandibular disorders (TMD). This study aims to evaluate the mandibular trajectories and the associated stress changes during the process of opening the mouth on the TMJs of an asymptomatic subject. The mouth opening motion was recorded by a motion capturing system using models of the mandible and maxilla constructed based on the computed tomography (CT). Two discs constructed based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Finite element analysis was performed on the relative motion of the mandible to the maxilla and validated. The process modelled by these displacements provided less than 10% error in terms of deformation. The simulation results indicate that the lateral intermediate zone—the head and neck of the mandible—and the articular eminence sustained the most significant stresses during the mouth opening motion. The results also suggested that the stresses increase as the range of opening increases with the greatest von Mises stress, tensile, and compressive stress found at the position of maximal opening.

3D-Printed Polycaprolactone Reinforced Hydrogel as an Artificial TMJ Disc

“…The normal load F N was set as 5 N. In the ball-plate contact model, according to Hertzian theory, the surface contact area was determined by Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and metal ball diameter. The corresponding stress on PVA + PCL and natural disc of 5 N could be calculated as 1 to 2 MPa (Zimmerman et al 2015; Cao et al 2017), which was probably in the normal range of stress, according to a series of finite element analysis (Commisso et al 2014; Li et al 2014; Shu et al 2020). Last, goat serum was added to the surface of the samples because surface drying had a significant impact on the accuracy of the friction test.…”

Temporomandibular Joint Disk Displacements in Class II Malocclusion and Cervical Spine Alterations: Systematic Review and Report of a Hypodivergent Case with MRI Bone and Soft Tissue Changes

“…Nevertheless, the biomechanical behavior of the TMJ is considered to be influenced by the head posture [47]. Inoue et al studied the relationship between TMJ DD diagnosed by MRI and muscle pain patterns and showed that DD is possibly associated with ipsilateral muscle soreness [48].…”

The relations between the stress in temporomandibular joints and the deviated distances for mandibular asymmetric patients

“…When the condyle moved beyond the anterior hypertrophic part of the disc, high squeezing has resulted in the clicking of joints. 33,34 Additionally, the more deviated distance patients had, the greater stress would show on the non-deviated disc. And the correction should be operated as the asymmetry find.…”