Reclassification of the temporomandibular joint

Reclasificación de la articulación temporomandibular

Introduction: The temporomandibular joint is formed by the mandibular fossa, the joint tubercle and the condyle of the jaw. It allows the rotation and displacement of the mandibular condyle in the mandibular fossa of the temporal generating opening, closing, protrusion, retrusion, laterality and rotation of the jaw. Due to the controversy regarding the true type of articulation to which the temporomandibular joint belongs, the present research aims to reclassify the temporomandibular joint from anatomical foundations to facilitate the realization of diagnoses and treatments in terms of disorders that affect the temporomandibular joint.

Objective: Propose a reclassification of the type of temporomandibular joint from anatomical foundations, to better understand the mandibular dynamics and adaptive capacities of the joint.

Methodology: The type of research is qualitative, which included scientific articles related to research and review studies, oriented in the anatomical, morphological and functional description of the bone components of the temporomandibular joint, the search for these articles was carried out in the SciELO, Scopus, Medline, NCBI, and PubMed databases, where articles published between 2011 and 2020 were included; A search was also conducted on books that are used in teaching and learning anatomy for health science students.

Results: The anatomical terms used in the scientific literature of anatomy are compiled and renewed based on the international terminology committee. Conclusion: TMJ is a multisynovial joint