Kranjcic Josip, Slaus Mario, Persic Sanja, Vodanovic Marin, Vojvodic Denis
Department of Fixed Prosthodontics, School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, Gunduliceva 5, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
Anthropological Centre, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ante Kovacica 5, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
Ann Anat. 2016 Jan;203:52-8. doi: 10.1016/j.aanat.2015.03.004. Epub 2015 Apr 9.
The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is one of the most complex joints in the human body. The anatomical configuration of the TMJ allows for a large range of mandibular movements as well as transmission of masticatory forces and loads to the skull base. The measurements of the TMJ's anatomical structures and their interpretations contribute to the understanding of how pathological changes, tooth loss, and the type of diet (changing throughout human history) can affect biomechanical conditions of the masticatory system and the TMJ. The human TMJ and its constituent parts are still the subject of extensive investigation and comparisons of measurement methods are being made in order to determine the most precise and suitable measurement methods. The aim of this study has been to examine the morphology of skeletal components of TMJ of an early medieval population (EMP) in Croatia and to compare measured values with TMJ values of the contemporary Croatian population (CP) using various methods of measurement. The study was performed on 30 EMP specimens - human dry skulls, aged from 18 to 55 years, and 30 CP human dry skulls, aged from 18 to 65 years. Only fully preserved specimens (in measured areas) were included. The articular eminence (AE) inclination was measured in relation to the Frankfurt horizontal using two methods. Also, the AE height (glenoid fossa depth) and the length of the curved line - highest to the lowest point of the AE were measured. Measurements were performed on lateral skull photographs, panoramic radiographs and lateral cephalograms using VistaMetrix software on skull images. The results were statistically analyzed using SPSS statistical software. No statistically significant differences were obtained for AE parameters between the EMP and CP populations independent of age and gender. However, statistically significant (p<0.05) differences were revealed when comparing results of three different measuring methods. It could not be determined which of the used measurement methods is the most accurate due to the different results obtained as well as the presence of possible shortcomings and limitations of the various methods (measuring points are difficult to determine and/or they are not clearly observed in the investigated images to be precisely marked and measured; distortion and magnification of structures on radiographic images are present). Therefore, due to the limitations of this study, the obtained results could serve only as orienting information.
颞下颌关节（TMJ）是人体最复杂的关节之一。颞下颌关节的解剖结构允许下颌进行大范围运动，同时将咀嚼力和负荷传递至颅底。对颞下颌关节解剖结构的测量及其解读有助于理解病理变化、牙齿缺失以及饮食类型（在人类历史进程中不断变化）如何影响咀嚼系统和颞下颌关节的生物力学状况。人类颞下颌关节及其组成部分仍是广泛研究的对象，并且正在对测量方法进行比较，以确定最精确和合适的测量方法。本研究的目的是检查克罗地亚中世纪早期人群（EMP）颞下颌关节骨骼成分的形态，并使用各种测量方法将测量值与当代克罗地亚人群（CP）的颞下颌关节值进行比较。该研究对30个EMP标本——年龄在18至55岁之间的人类干燥头骨，以及30个CP人类干燥头骨——年龄在18至65岁之间进行。仅纳入（测量区域）保存完好的标本。使用两种方法测量关节结节（AE）相对于法兰克福水平面的倾斜度。此外，还测量了AE高度（关节窝深度）以及从AE最高点到最低点的曲线长度。使用VistaMetrix软件在头骨图像上对侧位颅骨照片、全景X线片和侧位头影测量片进行测量。使用SPSS统计软件对结果进行统计分析。在不考虑年龄和性别的情况下，EMP和CP人群之间的AE参数未获得统计学上的显著差异。然而，在比较三种不同测量方法的结果时发现了统计学上的显著差异（p<0.05）。由于获得的结果不同以及各种方法可能存在的缺点和局限性（测量点难以确定和/或在研究图像中观察不清晰，无法精确标记和测量；X线图像上存在结构的变形和放大），无法确定所使用的哪种测量方法最准确。因此，由于本研究的局限性，所获得的结果仅可作为参考信息。
