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.