Narrative review: environmental and genetic basis of orofacial clefts.

Abstract

Complex genetic process guides the embryonic head development. Alterations in these processes result in structural abnormalities. An example of these are the cleft lip and palate. The major pathways involved in the fissures are families: the Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) family, the Hedgehog (HH) family, the Wingless (WNT) family and the Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF-β) family, which includes the Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) and Activins. In this review, we discuss some of the celular/molecular processes and environmental factors involved in the development of the orofacial complex, ending with therapeutic possibilities and potential clinical relevance to the accumulated evidence.

Keywords

• Embryonic development
• Cleft lip
• Cleft palate
• Orofacial cleft.