The Change of the Temporomandibular Joint after Experimental Distraction of Mandibular Ramus in Rabbit

Lim, Seung Kyu; Kim, Chul Hwan; Kim, Kyung Wook

Abstract

Distraction osteogenesis is a commonly used technique for mandibular lengthening, but changes in the temporomandibular joint(TMJ) have not been well documented. The TMJ is one of the most complex joint in the body and is composed of a fibrous surface layer, a proliferative zone, hypertrophic cartilage, and bone. The shape and role of the TMJ change and modify during a person's life-time. Possible complications that can arise after mandibular distraction include failure of the formation, failure of callus, infection, disturbance of TMJ and of occlusion. However, there are only a few reports on changes in the TMJ as a result of distraction osteogenesis. Hence, the goal of this study was to evaluate the change of the TMJ after experimental distraction of mandibular ramus in rabbit. We studied histological changes of mandibular condyle, articular disk and retrodiscal tissue, and also examined the collagen I gene expression and MMP-1 gene expression. The results were as follows. 1. In the histological staining, experimental condylar surface showed more thick fibrous articular layer and proliferative layer, compared with the control condyle and experimental articular disc showed thick and dense collagen fibers compared with the control disc. 2. In the collagen I and MMP-1 gene RT-PCR analysis, experimental discs showed increased collagen I expression compared with the control disc, while MMP-1 gene expression was decreased compared with the control disc. The retrodiscal tissue was almost equal expressions of the collagen I and MMP-1 genes compared with the control retrodiscal tissue. These findings suggest that histological and biomolecular changes occur in condyles and discs after unilateral mandibular distraction osteogenesis.