[A histological and histomorphometric study of the mandibular condyle during prenatal growth of the human mandible].

There is still some controversy on condylar cartilage growth capacity, whether it is similar or not to long bones growth cartilage. Recently it has been set that human tibial proximal growth decreases gradually throughout the second half of pregnancy period. The aim of this study is to determine whether changes are produced within mandibular condylar cartilage during fetal period are similar or not those that take place in growth platform. Lateral X-rays from the right half of the mandible of 19 human foetus between 18 and 41 weeks had been obtained. Total mandibular length, corpus length, ramus length and gonial angle were measured. A hystological condylar study was made, recording its thickness from sagittal sections of the central condylar area. Total mandibular length as well as corpus and ramus length progressively increased during studied period, existing high correlation between those parameters and gestational age and weight. Gonial angle decreases in studied period. Changes in condylar thickness were correlated neither with pregnancy age nor with fetal weight or X-rays mandibular parameters. These outcomes show that changes in mandibular condyle are not similar to those produced in tibial growth proximal platform and suggest condylar modifications could be more related to local factors than with general body growth mechanisms.