Role and mechanism of BMP4 in bone, craniofacial, and tooth development.

OBJECTIVE

This review aimed to present an overview of the effect of bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) on craniofacial and skeletal development, particularly the specific role of BMP4 in tooth development.

DESIGN

The search for this narrative review was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and ScienceDirect using relevant keywords, including checking reference lists of journal articles by hand searching.

RESULTS

Mutations or deletions of BMP4 cause tissue development defects in mice and humans, such as fragile bone, craniofacial deformity, cleft lip and palate, tooth development stagnation, and abnormal structure.

CONCLUSIONS

BMP4 is a reliable and vital candidate to regulate the development of bones, craniofacies, and teeth. It also has high clinical application potential.