Some vertical lineaments of lip position

Abstract

This study was performed to elucidate quantitatively upper lip-tooth-jaw relativity in the vertical dimension. Values for five linear dentolabial measurements were generated from male (n = 42) and female (n = 46) reference samples. In addition, three vertical skeletofacial dimensions and two vertical dental dimensions were recorded. A significant sexual dimorphism was found in the vertical lip-tooth-jaw relationship: the upper lip of the female subjects was positioned on average 1.5 mm more superiorly at maximum smile than the upper lip of the male subjects (p less than 0.01). High smile lines appeared to be a female lineament, and low smile lines appeared to be a male lineament. There was a significant sex difference in upper lip length: the male subjects exhibited a longer upper lip than the female subjects (p less than 0.001). The mean difference was 2.2 mm. A similarly significant male-female difference was seen in the skeletal maxillary height measurement: the male sample showed a 2.2 mm mean vertical maxillary increase over the female sample (p less than 0.001). Furthermore, a significant difference was found between the clinical crown height of the maxillary central incisors in the male and female subjects of comparable ages: the male group had longer central incisor crowns (p less than 0.01).