[The comparative characteristics of the temporomandibular joints in the rabbit and man].

Examination of rabbit temporomandibular joints has yielded new data contradictory to current notions accepted in dentistry. There are articular tubercles in the temporomandibular joints of rabbits, belonging to rodents, and these joints are incongruent, like in a man. Incongruence of rabbit joints permits combined mandibular movements. The presence of articular tubercles and occlusion curves in the rabbit is in line with an assumption of the compensation theory on their relationship and interdependence. These data permit a conclusion that rabbit temporomandibular joints are in many respects similar to those of man.