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Temporomandibular Joint: Structure, Function, and Current Perspectives Regina F. MacBarb, Meghan K. Murphy, and Kyriacos A. Athanasiou Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616 Tel: 530-752-1033 E-mail: athanasiou@ Introduction In the particularly active and continually aging society of the United States, news of injuries and deterioration to the joints of our bodies has become commonplace. Whether they are sports related or result from diseases such as osteoarthritis, the impact on our lives, as well as society as a whole, can be overwhelming. Most commonly, we hear about injuries or diseases affecting the knee, hip, ankle and shoulder joints. While such afflictions can severely limit our ability to perform daily tasks, the aforementioned joints are well studied and many methods exist to ensure we are quickly back on our feet with the aid of physical therapy, drug treatments, or surgical intervention. But what about the other types of activities we take for granted, such as talking and chewing? These routine actions can become severely compromised due to impairment of one of the least understood and under-researched joints of the body: the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). This joint, which is responsible for the hinging motion of our jaw, is essential for us to communicate as well as nourish our bodies. Unfortunately, there are many afflictions that can negatively impact the TMJ, including accidents that disfigure the face as well as a variety of pathologies that all fall under the umbrella of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD). Characteristic of intra-articular positional and/or structural abnormalities, TMD can be broken down into four main categories: pain dysfunction syndrome, internal derangement, arthritis, and traumas (Athanasiou 2009). TMD has been found to affect 20 – 25% of the population, with only 3 – 4% of patients seeking treatment (Gray, Davies, and Quayle 1994; Solberg, Woo, and Houston 1979). Whil