Embryonic Induction and Teratology of the Developing Skin and Oral Mucosa

The investigative approaches of experimental teratology and experimental embryology do not differ fundamentally in their strategies. In fact the only difference between the two disciplines may well be their points of departure; that is whether or not the production and understanding of the development of abnormal or normal structure is the major focus of the investigation. Yet, workers in the two disciplines often have failed to incorporate or specifically relate to each other’s basic advances. It is the purpose of this chapter to examine advances in experimental embryology of epithelio-mesenchymal interactions with a view toward relating these recent data to teratological problems. There have been a number of advances in the understanding of the mechanisms involved in the development of epithelial derivatives of the integument (haif, glands, etc.) and oral mucosa (teeth, glands, etc.) and in epithelio-mesenchymal interactions involved in development of skeletal derivatives (limbs, palate, cranial bones). The overriding theme of epithelio-mesenchymal interactions encompasses all of the most often studied experimental models in teratological research as well as in experimental embryology.