魏敦瑞在研究周口店北京直立人化石时发现,位于上颌骨硬腭表面的门齿孔位置在周口店标本靠后,而在现代人靠近齿槽。此后,门齿孔位置作为具有演化意义的形态特征被用于古人类学研究。迄今,对门齿孔位置在中国古人类化石表现的专门研究仅有周口店一件标本,而在现代中国人的数据尚属空白。鉴于此,本文对门齿孔位置在中国古人类化石以及现代中国人标本进行了观察、测量和数据统计。在此基础上,结合世界其他地区古人类数据资料,本文对门齿孔位置在中国古人类化石的表现特点及其演化意义进行了探讨。本研究发现,从更新世早期到更新世晚期,门齿孔位置在中国古人类呈现由后向前的总体变化趋势。更新世早期和中期直立人（郧县曲远河口、周口店）的门齿孔位置都比较靠后;中更新世晚期的部分中国古人类（大荔、长阳、华龙洞）的门齿孔位置前移,并与现代人接近,而金牛山和巢县门齿孔位置比较靠后,位于直立人范围;在更新世晚期,所有中国古人类都比较靠前,位于现代人变异范围。本文对现代人标本的观测显示,门齿孔位置在现代中国人比较靠前。现代人门齿孔大小及形态存在较大变异,这种表现特点在一定程度上影响对门齿孔位置及演化意义的判定。几乎全部现代人标本门齿孔前缘呈开放状态,门齿管从开口处的门齿孔向后上方呈不同程度倾斜走向。这一发现与魏敦瑞提出的现代人门齿管垂直走向的观点不同。综合本文采集的中国古人类化石、现代中国人标本门齿孔位置数据,以及世界其他地区古人类门齿孔位置数据资料,我们认为门齿孔位置在人类演化过程中呈现较规律的变化,门齿孔位置靠后应该是一项相对原始的特征。

When studying the fossils of Homo erectus from Zhoukoudian, Weidenreich pointed out that the incisive foramen is more posteriorly positioned compared with that of modern humans in which the foramen is situated anteriorly more close to alveolar border. Since then, incisive foramen have been used in paleoanthroology studies as an indicator with evolutionary value. However, till now, only one Chinese human fossil from Zhoukoudian was studied for the position of incisive foramen while no study of incisive foramen positions in modern Chinese has been conducted. In this study, the positions of incisive foramen of Chinese human fossils and specimens of modern Chinese population were observed and measured. Based on these, in conjunction with previous studies of incisive foramen of human fossils around the world, the expression pattern and evolutionary implications of the incisive foramen positions for Chinese human fossils were explored. Our study indicates that from Early Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene, the positions of incisive foramens in Chinese human fossils follow the trend to the anterior positions. The positions of incisive foramens in Early and Middle Pleistocene Homo erectus (Yunxian and Zhoukoudian) are more posteriorly positioned; In late Middle Pleistocene, the positions of incisive foramens in some specimens (Dali, Changyang, Hualongdong) are moved forwardly resembling those of modern humans, while other specimens (Jinniushan, Chaoxian) exhibit posteriorly positioned incisive foramens, which are within the variation ranges of Homo erectus; In all the specimens of Late Pleistocene humans, the positions of incisive foramens situate anteriorly within the variation ranges of modern humans. The investigation of the incisive foramen in modern Chinese population show that although the positions in modern humans are anterior, the size and shape of the incisive foramens in modern humans exhibit pronounced variabilities. This expression pattern of the incisive foramens in modern humans will affect the evaluations to the position and evolutionary implications of the incisive foramens. In additions, nearly all the incisive foramens in modern human specimens are open in their anterior borders and the incisive canals take inclined trends towards superoposterior directions from the entrance. This discovery is different from the vertical direction of the incisive canals in modern humans proposed by Weidenreich. In considering the investigated data of the incisive foramens in Chinese human fossils, modern Chinese specimens and incisive foramen positions of other human fossils around the world, the authors believe that the positions of incisive foramens exhibit relatively fixed pattern in the human evolution and posteriorly positioned incisive foramens should be treated as a primitive traits.