Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com Abbreviations: TMJ, temporomandibular joint Introduction Only a few textbooks show some anatomic samples of the TMJ because its anatomical study presents several diffculties. 1 Separation of the joint in a block results in sacrifcing many structures, which is unacceptable. The challenge, therefore, is to standardize a procedure that allows one to study the TMJ components, while preserving the anatomical structures around it to the maximum extent. Materials and methods We took the head of a specimen, emptied the cranial cavity and determined a point of reference, situated approximately 2cm behind the external acoustic meatus (Figure 1). Figure 1 Point of reference posterior to the external acoustic meatus. After this, for both sides, we traced a line from this point up to the midpoint of the margin that separates the anterior cranial fossa from the middle cranial fossa; this margin being formed by the smaller wing of the sphenoid bone and by the horizontal lamina of the frontal bone (Figure 2). Based on these reference lines, we made the cuts of the part, which resulted in three segments: A central segment with a triangular shape and two lateral segments (Figure 3). Figure 2 Guide line through the middle cranial fossa, indicating the trajectory of the cut. Figure 3 Anatomic parts sectioned according to the pre-established guidance. MOJ Anat Physiol. 2020;7(6):173‒174. 173 ©2020 Campos et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially. Temporomandibular joint: an anatomical approach method Volume 7 Issue 6 - 2020 Paulo Sérgio Flores Campos, 1 José Aderval Aragão, 2 Francisco Prado Reis 2,3 1 Department of Radiology, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Bahia, Brazil 2 Department of Morphology, Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Brazil 3 Medical School of Tiradentes University (UNIT), Brazil Correspondence: José Aderval Aragão, Federal University of Sergipe, Marechal Rondon Avenue, São Cristóvão, Sergipe, Brazil, Tel +55-79-991916767, Email Received: November 16, 2020 | Published: December 07, 2020 Abstract Objective: To describe a technique for a conservative approach to anatomical study of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ); this method is designed to demonstrate the structure of the TMJ while teaching Anatomy to Dentistry and Medical students. Methodology: We took the head of a specimen, emptied the cranial cavity and determined a point of reference, situated approximately 2cm behind the external acoustic meatus. Then we traced a line from this point up to the midpoint of the margin that separates the anterior cranial fossa from the middle cranial fossa, bilaterally. Based on these reference lines, we cut the head. Results: Two halves of the TMJ was obtained permitting us to visualize the soft and osseous articular components. Conclusion: This technique provided good samples of both TMJs without damage to the neighboring anatomical structures. Keywords: anatomy, temporomandibular joint, temporomandibular joint disc MOJ Anatomy & Physiology Method Article Open Access