Temporomandibular joint method to study the morphology and relationship of the hard structures.

Different methods have been suggested to study mandibular condylar position. These methods are based on the study of the joint space between the condylar head surface and the glenoid fossa. In all of these methods, joint structures were always regarded as healthy and in ideal shape, a fact that we know to be not always true. The mandibular condyle is a structure that may suffer shape alterations, and its use as a reference structure might lead to misinterpretation of the method. For this reason, the goal of this paper is to develop a new method, which enables study of the relationship between the hard structures that constitute the joint by finding references far from the measurement area. This method allows for revelation of an antero-posterior relationship and a rotational behavior through the study of the condylar axis.