Programmed cell death (apoptosis) is a genetically regulated process of cell elimination essential during development. During development, programmed cell death is involved in the specific shaping of organs, in the elimination of cells having achieved their program, and in regulating the number of cells to differentiate. Tooth development includes these three aspects and was used here as a model to study the control of apoptosis. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are currently considered as playing a major role in signaling apoptosis. This apoptosis could be stopped by treatments with a BMP antagonist ("Noggin"). We selected a model system made by a layer-by-layer approach using poly-L-glutamic acid (PlGA) and poly-L-lysine (PlL) films into which BMP4 and/or Noggin have been embedded. Our results indicate that in situ control of apoptosis during tooth differentiation mediated by both BMP4 and Noggin embedded in a polyelectrolyte multilayer film is possible. We show here for the first time that in the presence of BMP4 and Noggin embedded in a multilayered film, we can induce or inhibit cell death in tooth differentiation, and conserve their biological effects.