developmental stage ; fetus ; human embryo ; tooth
Abstract
Tooth development is usually described in four stages such as bud stage, cap stage, bell stage and crown stage. Exact time of appearance of tooth primordia is different among reports, and up to now there is no timetable regarding initial tooth development. To understand the congenital malformations and other disorders of the orofacial region, there is a need to establish a standard timetable on early tooth development. Till now, studies on the tooth development were mainly on later fetuses, and only few reports on early stage. Also, there were no reports on the time when bud stage turns to cap stage, and cap stage to bell stage. In this study, external morphology of face and the early development of the tooth, and transition of bud stage to cap stage, cap stage to bell stage were studied using 27 staged human embryos and 9 serially sectioned human fetuses. The results are as follows: 1. Mandibular region was formed by union of both mandibular arch at stage 15, and maxillary region by union of maxillary arch, medial nasal prominence, and intermaxillary segment at stage 19. 2. Ectodermal thickening which represents the primordia of tooth appeared in mandibular region at stage 13, and maxillary region at stage 15. 3. Bud stage began from mandibular primary central incisor at stage 17, and maxillary primary central incisor at stage 18. And the sequence of appearance was in the mandibular primary lateral incisor at stage 19, maxillary primary lateral incisor at stage 20, mandibular primary canine at stage 22, maxillary primary canine and primary first molar at stage 23, madibular primary first molar and maxillary primary second molar at 9th week, and mandibular primary second molar at 10th week of development. 4. Cap stage began from the primary anterior teeth at 9th week, and primary second molar still had the characteristics of cap stage at 12th week of development. 5. Transition to bell stage started from the primary anterior teeth at 12th week, and primary second molar started at 16th week of development. 6. Trnasition to crown stage started from primary anterior teeth at 16th week, and primary second molar at 26th week of development.