ABSTRACT
Elastic fibers are important components of the connective tissue that attaches the articular disk of the craniomandibular joint (CMJ) to the skull and mandible. Biopsies of the articular disk proper and bilaminar zone (BZ) tissues from patients with anterior disk displacement (ADD) have shown previously that there is a marked loss of elastic fibers. In the present study, the effects of inducing ADD on the elastic fibers in the rabbit CMJ disk proper, BZ and condylar cartilage were investigated. The right CMJ was exposed surgically and the discal attachments were severed except for the BZ attachments. Then, the disk was displaced anteriorly and sutured to the zygomatic arch. The CMJs were removed after 1, 2 or 6 weeks and processed for histochemical demonstration of elastic fibers. The results showed osteoarthritic changes following ADD, and a significant decrease in the number of the elastic fibers in the disk proper and BZ. The remaining elastic fibers were abnormal in their appearance and orientation. In addition, ADD led to the appearance of fine elastic fibers among the chondrocytes in the hyaline cartilage of the condyle that were not present in the cartilage of the control condyle. We conclude that induced ADD can lead to a significant loss of elastic fibers in the articular disk, and result in the appearance of elastic fibers within the cartilage of the mandibular condyle.