Fig. 1.

Representative Safranin O-stained central sagittal sections (10× magnification) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) from six-week-old control mice (20×). The cartilage was divided into three regions, as denoted by the four bold black lines. The thickness of the central or posterior third of the cartilage was calculated as the mean length of the three thin blue lines in the corresponding thirds. The total cartilage thickness of the TMJ was calculated as the mean of the values for the central and posterior thirds. Scale bar: 200 mm. C, condylar cartilage; D, articular disc; S, subchondral bone; T: temporal bone.