The impact of dietary consistency on structural craniofacial components: Temporomandibular joint/condyle, condylar cartilage, alveolar bone and periodontal ligament. A systematic review and meta-analysis in experimental in vivo research.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to provide a comprehensive synthesis of available evidence evaluating the effect of dietary loading on temporomandibular joint/condyle, condylar cartilage, alveolar bone of the mandible and the periodontal ligament in healthy mice and rats.

Design: Medline via PubMed, EMBASE and Open Grey databases were searched for published and unpublished literature. Search terms included "mandiblular condyle", "alveolar bone", "temporomandibular joint", "condylar cartilage", "periodontal ligament", "rat", "mice".

Putative functions of extracellular matrix glycoproteins in secondary palate morphogenesis.

Cleft palate is a common birth defect in humans. Elevation and fusion of paired palatal shelves are coordinated by growth and transcription factors, and mutations in these can cause malformations. Among the effector genes for growth factor signaling are extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoproteins.