Indirect injuries to the jaw are not life threatening. However, they often lead to a range of painful symptoms, which can have serious consequences for the sufferer. These injuries are confirmed by clinical evidence but the injury mechanism is not understood. This work is part of an ongoing investigation into the nature of the injury process,

We have reported on the testing of a mechanistic model of a human head/neck/mandible. Results from these tests indicate high angular velocities and accelerations of the mandible but forces reacted upon the joint tissues were not significant. Human cadaveric samples of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) were tested to quantify some material properties of the joint. The results from this and data from a mathematical model of the TMJ are reported.