ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my appreciation to the people that have provided

assistance with the effort put forth in completing this thesis. I ask for the forgiveness
of those who may read this and believe that their influence in my life should have
been given attention to.
First of all, I would like to thank my thesis advisor,Prof. Dr.Aydan ERSÖZ
for her enduring support, guidance and assistance at every phase of this thesis.
I also owe my deepest gratitude to the administration, my colleagues and
students at ANKARA MAYA PRIVATE PRIMARY SCHOOL. Itwould not have
been possible to conduct this study without their support.
Besides,I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my family for their
ongoing support.
Finally, I would like to express how grateful I am with Erhan SARISUfor
his invaluable support and understanding

1. This thesis is dedicated to my parents who have given me the opportunity of aneducation from
the best institutions and support throughout my life.
2. This thesis is dedicated to my Professor Mr. XYZ who has been my friend, guide and philosopher.
3. I dedicate this thesis to my best friend who has always helped me and believed that I could do it.
 Acknowledgement
I would like to express my deep and sincere gratitude to my supervisor,
Professor Aune Raustia, D.D.S., Ph.D., Head of the Department of Prosthetic
Dentistry and Stomatognathic Physiology, Institute of Dentistry, University of
Oulu. Her wide knowledge and her logical way of thinking have been of great
value for me. Her understanding, encouraging and personal guidance have
provided a good basis for the present thesis.

I am deeply grateful to my supervisor, Professor Kyösti Oikarinen, D.D.S.,

Ph.D., Head of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Institute of
Dentistry, University of Oulu, for his detailed and constructive comments, and
for his important support throughout this work.

I wish to express my warm and sincere thanks to Professor Min Hong, D.D.S.,
Ph.D., Head of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, General
Military Hospital, Beijing, China, who introduced me to the field of oral
maxillofacial surgery and Professor Kurt Schellhas, M.D., Director of
Neuroimaging and Spinal Injection Procedures, Center for Diagnostic
Imaging, Minnesota, USA, whose letters gave me important guidance during
my first steps into MR imaging studies. Their ideals and concepts have had a
remarkable influence on my entire career in the field of temporomandibular
joint research.

I owe my most sincere gratitude to Professor Eric Fossion MD, LDS, and
Professor Antoon De Laat, LDS, GHO, who gave me the opportunity to work
with them in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Catholic
University of Leuven in Belgium and gave me untiring help during my difficult
moments.

I warmly thank Dr. Hannu Pernu, D.D.S., M.D., for his valuable advice and
friendly help. His extensive discussions around my work and interesting
explorations in operations have been very helpful for this study.

My warm thanks are due to Professor Juhani Pyhtinen, M.D., Ph.D., and
Professor Changzu Fan, M.D., who directed me in magnetic resonance
imaging studies. Their kind support and guidance have been of great value in
this study.
My sincere thanks are due to the official referees, Docent Pentti Kemppainen,
D.D.S., Ph.D., and Docent Osmo Tervonen, M.D., Ph.D., for their detailed
review, constructive criticism and excellent advice during the preparation of
this thesis.

I wish to thank Mr. Ahti Niinimaa, M.Sc., Ph.D., and Mr. Risto Bloigu, M.Sc.,
for their guidance in statistical analysis, and Dr. Petri Tiilikainen, D.D.S., for
his essential assistance in reviewing the patient files of this study.

I am grateful to Docent Kimmo Lehtimäki, D.D.S., Ph.D., for attracting me to

Finland and for interesting discussions on the operations of the
temporomandibular joint.

I also wish to thank Mrs. Anna Vuolteenaho, M.A., for revising the English of
my manuscript. Ms Liisa Kärki, Ms Seija Leskelä and Ms Taru Kaleva are
thanked for their excellent photographic work, and Ms Sinikka Vuoti and Ms
Eija Takkula for their sympathetic help in secretarial work.

During this work I have collaborated with many colleagues for whom I have
great regard, and I wish to extend my warmest thanks to all those who have
helped me with my work in the Department of Prosthetic Dentistry and
Stomatognathic Physiology in Oulu, in the Department of Oral and
Maxillofacial Surgery and in the Department of Diagnostic Radiology at the
University of Oulu, at Tampere University Hospital, at Leuven University
Hospital in Belgium, and at General Military Hospital in Beijing, China.

I owe my loving thanks to my wife Xiaoping Liang, my sons Zou yi Yang and
Zichao Liang. They have lost a lot due to my research abroad. Without their
encouragement and understanding it would have been impossible for me to
finish this work. My special gratitude is due to my brother, my sisters and their
families for their loving support. My loving thanks are due to Raili and Pentti
Rantanen. They let me own a happy family in Finland.

The financial support of the University of Oulu is gratefully acknowledged.

In the first place I would like to record my gratitude to George Sawatzky for his

supervision, advice, and guidance from the very early stage of this research as well as

giving me extraordinary experiences through out the work. Above all and the most needed,

he provided me unflinching encouragement and support in various ways. His truly scientist

intuition has made him as a constant oasis of ideas and passions in science, which

exceptionally inspire and enrich my growth as a student, a researcher and a scientist want to

be. I am indebted to him mre than he knows

Where would I be without my family? My parents deserve special mention for

their inseparable support and prayers. My Father, Rusydi Rusyid, in the first place is the

person who put the fundament my learning character, showing me the joy of intellectual

pursuit ever since I was a child. My Mother, Ulvimariati, is the one who sincerely raised me

with her caring and gently love. Febdian, Ilhamdi, and Anna, thanks for being supportive

and caring siblings.

Finally, I would like to thank everybody who was important to the successful

realization of thesis, as well as expressing my apology that I could not mention personally

one by one