The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a site of intense morbidity for millions of people, especially young, pre-menopausal women. Central to TMJ afflictions are the cartilaginous tissues of the TMJ, especially those of the disc and condylar cartilage, which play crucial roles in normal function of this unusual joint. Damage or disease to these tissues significantly impacts a patient's quality of life by making common activities such as talking and eating difficult and painful. Unfortunately, these tissues have limited ability to heal, necessitating the development of treatments for repair or replacement. The burgeoning field of tissue engineering holds promise that replacement tissues can be constructed in the laboratory to recapitulate the functional requirements of native tissues. This book outlines the biomechanical, biochemical, and anatomical characteristics of the disc and condylar cartilage, and also provides a historical perspective of past and current TMJ treatments and previous tissue engineering efforts. This book was written to serve as a reference for researchers seeking to learn about the TMJ, for undergraduate and graduate level courses, and as a compendium of TMJ tissue engineering design criteria. Table of Contents: The Temporomandibular Joint / Fibrocartilage of the TMJ Disc / Cartilage of the Mandibular Condyle / Tissue Engineering of the Disc / Tissue Engineering of the Mandibular Condyle / Current Perspectives

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K. A. Athanasiou is a Distinguished Professor and the Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California Davis. He holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering (bioengineering) from Columbia University. A. J. Almarza is an Assistant Professor of Oral Biology and Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh and a faculty of the McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine and the Center for Craniofacial Regeneration. He is also the director of the Temporomandibular Joint Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh. He holds a Ph.D. in bioengineering from Rice University and a post-doctoral fellowship at the Musculoskeletal Research Center of the University of Pittsburgh. M.S. Detamore is an Associate Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Kansas, where he is the director of the Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Laboratory. He holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado, and a Ph.D. in bioengineering from Rice University. K. N. Kalpakci is performing his graduate studies at Rice University under the mentorship of Professor Athanasiou. The focus of his research is mechanical characterization and tissue engineering of the temporomandibular joint disc. He holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.