Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Bioengineering

Committee Chair/Advisor

Dr. Hai Yao

Committee Member

Dr. Michael Kern

Committee Member

Dr. Tong Ye

Committee Member

Dr. Yongren Wu

Committee Member

Dr. Peng Chen

Abstract

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a unique joint that allows both rotation and sliding movements. The TMJ disc, a vital part of the joint, is situated between two bony structures: the glenoid fossa and mandibular condyle. Variations in these structures can have a dramatic effect on the magnitude and distribution of the forces acting on the disc. In turn, these forces can have an impact on the transport of nutrients and waste due to the TMJ disc’s reliance on diffusion. Increased compressive loading has been shown to decrease the transport of nutrients and waste within tissue types similar to the TMJ disc. This study investigated how the size and shape of key anatomic regions of the TMJ affect the mechanical loading of the human TMJ disc and how mechanical loading affects the nutrient environment of the human TMJ disc. Our findings show a relationship exists between morphology and the loading environment of the disc. Variations in morphology can have dramatic effects on the disc, such as temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) being directly related to smaller mandibular morphology. Our study also found that mechanical loading affects the transport of nutrients in the human TMJ disc and that these rates are different from porcine values. Lastly, our study demonstrated that simulation techniques such as multibody dynamics finite element modelling can be utilized to show a patient's specific mechanical loading and nutrient environment of the disc as well as showing the implications that morphology has on the loading of the disc.

Author ORCID Identifier

0000-0001-9042-6416

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