Abstract:

The orolabial region is one of the most important anatomical structures of the human face, closely connected to the skin around the oral cavity, and has important physiological functions. The lips protect the oral cavity from the penetration of external substances, and maintain the humidity and temperature inside the oral cavity, and aid to chew. At the same time, the orolabial region is also one of the main parts of cosmetic surgery, and lip wrinkles have an important identification value in forensic physical evidence research. In addition, the orolabial region is one of the main objects of study in the fields of archaeology, anthropology, and medicine. In the field of anthropology, both the skeletal and soft tissue morphology of the orolabial region are important materials for the study of the characteristics of different ethnic groups. In the field of medicine, the study of orolabial morphology can provide a more accurate basis for the treatment of orolabial diseases and the individualization of plastic surgery. With the development of science and technology, research on orolabial morphology in different fields at home and abroad has used a variety of research techniques and methods and involved multiple aspects, forming a diverse range of research results, providing a basis for the establishment of a quantitative database on the orolabial region of the population in the future. Current research on orolabial morphology includes the following aspects: 1) The manifest characteristics of sex differences in orolabial morphological variation, and their association with nasal width; 2) Age differences in morphological variation of the orolabial region, and their age-related sex comparisons; 3) Ethnic differences in morphological variation of the orolabial region; 4) Factors influencing the morphological variation of the orolabial region, including genetics, dietary structure, tooth and jaw morphology, and breathing patterns; 5) Applications related to the study of the morphology of the orolabial region, including medical aspects such as cheilopalatognathus, orthodontics, lip plastic surgery, etc., personal identification through lip prints and lip shapes, and applications in the field of forensic criminal investigation such as reconstruction of the deceased’s appearance. There are relatively few studies on the morphology of the orolabial region in China, especially the lack of more systematic studies on the growth and development of the morphology and variation of the orolabial region. In this paper, we examined the research results on orolabial morphology at home and abroad, sorted out and summarized the research data and conclusions in the related literature, gave a brief overview of the research on orolabial morphology according to certain research directions, and made a brief review and outlook on the research on orolabial growth and development and morphological variation in China.

Key words: orolabial, morphology, applied anthropology, somatometry