RNDr. Mária Hovořáková, Ph.D.
ORAL HISTOLOGY AND EMBRYOLOGY
Institute of Histology and Embryology
Maria.Hovorakova@lf1.cuni.cz
Oral Histology and Embryology
(CODE B82681)
DEVELOPMENT OF HEAD AND NECK I.
HEAD FORMATION, STOMODEUM, PHARYNGEAL
ARCHES
FORMATION OF FACE, DEVELOPMENT OF THE
OF THE ORAL AND OF THE NASAL CAVITIES
Institute of Histology and Embryology
Migration of neural crest cells from forebrain,
midbrain, and hind brain regions into their final
locations in the rostral area of head and
pharyngeal arches.
Fates: cells of the ectodermal placodes, together
with neural crest, form neurons of the fifth,
seventh, ninth, and tenth cranial sensory ganglia.
• Head mesenchyme origin:

• neural crest (blue),

Sadler, 2012
• lateral plate mesoderm (yellow),
• paraxial mesoderm (red)
Pharyngeal arches are developing in the fourth and fifth
prenatal weeks, they consist of bars of mesenchymal
tissue (each arch has own artery (one of aortic arches),
cranial nerve, and cartilage) separated by the
pharyngeal clefts. Simultaneously, with the
development of arches and clefts, the endodermal
outpocketings - pharyngeal pouches (in yellow) appear
along the lateral wall of the primitive pharynx.

Sadler, 2012
5 primordia (4th week):
• frontonasal prominence - proliferation of mesenchyme ventral to brain vesicle
• maxillary prominences - paired, derived from the from 1st pharyngeal arch
• mandibular prominences - paired, derived from the from 1st pharyngeal arch
Stomodeum (primitive oral cavity) – oropharyngeal membrane, breaks down in 5th week
Nasal (olfactory) placodes – ectoderm thickenings
During the fifth week the nasal placodes invaginate to form nasal pits and the surrounding mesenchyme
proliferates to form medial and lateral nasal prominences. Lateral nasal prominences are separated from
maxillary prominence by deep furrow, nasolacrimal groove (involved in the development of the nasolacrimal
duct). Mandibular prominences merge to form mandible, lower lip and inferior part of the face.
During the 6th and 7th weeks the medial nasal prominences merge with each other and maxillary prominences and
form embryonic intermaxillary segment giving rise to: philtrum of upper lip, premaxillary part of maxilla and its
associated gum, and the primary palate.
Frontonasal prominence gives rise to the forehead and bridge of nose. After formation of the nasolacrimal duct the
maxillary and lateral nasal prominences fuse, the sulcus nasolacrimalis remains on the surface.
• Frontonasal prominence – NCC from forebrain and midbrain (Osumi-
Yamashita et al., 1994)

• Mx and md prominences – 1st arch –NCC caudal part of midbrain

and hindbrain (Imai et al., 1996)

Upper jaw – NCC of different origins!

 Lisson and Kjaer, 1997;
Barteczko and Jacob, 2004
Primary palate, derived from the intermaxillary segment, is continuous with nasal
septum. Main part of palate is formed by two palatal shelves, outgrowths from
maxillary prominences.

Sadler, 2012

Palatal shelves grow obliguely downward on each side of tongue.

 Sadler, 2012

In week 7, palatal shelves ascend to a horizontal position above tongue and fuse to form secondary palate
(finalized in week 10).
Anteriorly, palatal shelves fuse with triangular primary palate, and the incisive foramen is midline landmark
between the primary and secondary palates. At the same time, the nasal septum grows down and joins with newly
formed palate.
During 6th week nasal pits deepen and grow downwards; the oronasal membrane separates primitive nasal
cavities from the primitive oral cavity. After the breakdown of the oronasal membrane the nasal cavities
communicate with the oral cavity.
Developed palate separates the definitive nasal and oral cavities and definitive choanae lie at junction of nasal
cavity and pharynx.

Sadler, 2012
Sadler, 2012
 7. week

9. week

8. week
• Clleft lip =
cheiloschisis
• cleft lip + jaw =
cheilognatoschisis
• cleft palate =
palatoschisis
Cleft palate can be with or without cleft lip, occurs 1 :
2,500, more common in females
Multifactorial inheritance

FACIAL CLEFTS
Median cleft of the lower lip and mandible (failure of
the mandibular prominences to merge completely
with each other)

Oblique facial clefts (failure of the maxillary

prominences to merge with lateral and medial nasal
prominences)

Macrostomia (lateral facial clefts)

Microstomia (excessive merging of the maxillary and

mandibular prominences

A single nostril (only one nasal placode is developed)

Bifid nose (failure of the medial nasal prominences to

merge completely)
In the week 4 the tuberculum impar appears on the inner ventral surface
of the primitive pharynx. Soon afterwards two lateral lingual swellings
develop, grow over tuberculum impar and fuse in midline to form anterior
2/3 of tongue. Posterior third of tongue (root) develop from copula
(hypobranchial eminence).
Epiglottis develops from the epiglotic swelling. Tongue muscles develop
from of the myoblasts of the occipital myotomes (innervation: hypoglossal
nerve). Taste buds develop during the week 11 and 13.