The Development of a Dynamic Finite Element Model of the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) and Study of Joint Mechanics

There are three major accomplishments resulting from this project that significantly advance the field of TMJ biomechanics and will form the basis of a new research project. First, we have developed a high-fidelity, anatomically accurate, finite-element model of TMJ mechanics that is governed by the internal generation of muscle forces to achieve a specific functional goal (such as chewing), paralleling how functional joint motion is produced in vivo (Figure 1). Second, we have modified this new model by incorporating statistical shape modeling methods to efficiently describe variation in human anatomy that occurs between individuals and within populations and to investigate how these variations, particularly anatomical differences between TMD patients and normal individuals, affect TMJ mechanics. Third, we have developed and implemented a new method of determining the time history of internal muscles forces using a feedback model paradigm that improves model efficiency by more than an order of magnitude compared to current muscle force optimization methods. In combination, these new capabilities will allow us to investigate TMJ mechanics both at the length scale of the tissues comprising the joint while simultaneously accounting for anatomical variability at the population level that has been heretofore impossible but nonetheless necessary to understand the link between joint mechanics and disease.