Histopathologic findings in temporomandibular joints of aged individuals.

Twenty-four TMJs from well preserved 62- to 97-year-old human cadavers, 12 men and 12 women, were used in this study. The TMJs were routinely processed to identify (1) the histologic and histopathologic changes present in the articulations and (2) the components of the joint most frequently affected by these changes. The most significant histopathologic findings were (1) intense fibrocartilaginous proliferations of the condylar head and articular eminence linings, (2) neovascularization or myxomatoid degenerative changes in articular disks, and (3) proliferation of synovial villi, subsynovial tissue, and muscular fibers. The components of the joint most frequently affected were (1) the condylar head (30.4%), (2) the articular disk (21.7%), (3) the synovial lining (13%), (4) the articular eminence (8.6%), and (5) the lining of the articular fossa (4.3%). Five joints were considered to be within normal histologic limits, and one joint was excluded from the study because of metastatic malignancy.