Jaw function – a "marionette theater"?

The human temporomandibular joints are characterized by an extraordinary mobility when compared with those of other species. This mobility allows the mandible to carry out a wide range of movements with a considerable amount of interindividual variability, as is reflected during chewing. The mandible can be compared to a marionette: it is attached to the skull and the hyoid bone via muscles and ligaments – the ‘threads’ – that is operated and controlled by the central nervous system (the ‘puppeteer’). Keywords: biologic evolution, form and function, musculoskeletal system, movement, mandible, mandibular condyle, temporomandibular joint