Ontogeny of relationship of middle ear and temporomandibular (squamomandibular) joint in mammals [corrected]. I. Morphology and ontogeny in man.

The temporomandibular joint disk was investigated in fetal and adult human specimens in a morphological study. The dorsal aspect of the disk appears to be composed of a superior, an intermediate and an inferior lamina, thus forming a trilaminar zone. The intermediate lamina continues via the petrotympanic fissure into the middle ear cavity to insert onto the malleus and its anterior ligament. However, the notion that traction on the disk causes the auditory ossicles to move is rejected on morphological grounds.