The influence of altered occlusion on the condylar cartilage of the mandible and on the growth of the entire skull

The effect of the loss of the suspensory zones of the upper jaw on the cartilage of the mandibular condyles and on the growth of both the viscerocranium and the neurocranium was examined after tooth crowns had been reduced in Wistar rats. We measured the thickness of the individual layers of the condylar cartilage and its total thickness. Alterations in the developmental processes involving the condylar cartilage expressed themselves as accelerated maturation, particulary in the centrally compressed areas of the cartilage. Alterations in occlusion influenced the development of the viscerocranium, whereas no influence on the growth of the neurocranium was detected.