title: Ex vivo thickness measurement of cartilage covering the temporomandibular joint.
abstract: Articular cartilage covers the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and provides smooth and nearly frictionless articulation while distributing mechanical loads to the subchondral bone. The thickness of the cartilage is considered to be an indicator of the stage of development, maturation, aging, loading history, and disease. The aim of our study was to develop a method for ex vivo assessment of the thickness of the cartilage that covers the TMJ and to compare that with two other existing methods. Eight porcine TMJ condyles were used to measure cartilage thickness. Three different methods were employed: needle penetration, micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), and histology; the latter was considered the gold standard. Histology and micro-CT scanning results showed no significant differences between thicknesses throughout the condyle. Needle penetration produced significantly higher values than histology, in the lateral and anterior regions. All three methods showed the anterior region to be thinner than the other regions. We concluded that overestimated thickness by the needle penetration is caused by the penetration of the needle through the first layer of subchondral bone, in which mineralization is less than in deeper layers. Micro-CT scanning method was found to be a valid method to quantify the thickness of the cartilage, and has the advantage of being non-destructive.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Cell Biology and Functional Anatomy, Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; MOVE Research Institute Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Biomechanics Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Fereshteh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mirahmadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Cell Biology and Functional Anatomy, Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; MOVE Research Institute Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: j.koolstra@acta.nl.
authors.forename: Jan Harm
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Koolstra
authors.affiliation: MOVE Research Institute Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Oral Kinesiology, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lobbezoo
authors.affiliation: Biomechanics Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: G Harry
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: van Lenthe
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Cell Biology and Functional Anatomy, Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; MOVE Research Institute Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Everts
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000166:cytology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013552:Swine; D013704:Temporomandibular Joint / Q000166:cytology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D055114:X-Ray Microtomography
keywords: Cartilage; Histological staining; Micro-CT; Needle penetration; Thickness