[The growth reaction of the temporomandibular cartilage to biomechanical stimuli and its significance for functional orthodontics--the results of experimental animal and biophysical research].

Adaptive changes in the condylar cartilage of the temporomandibular joint resulting from an experimentally induced lateral occlusal disturbance, were examined in ten juvenile domestic pigs. For the first time, in addition to histological methods for the objectification of changes in the matrix, biophysical methods such as 1H-NMR spectroscopy, electrical impedance spectroscopy and the measurement of mechanically induced potentials were used. Changes in the water-binding behavior of the matrix of cartilage were found, which we interpreted as a sign of a responsive initial reaction to a new biomechanical loading situation.