Sex -related differences in the lips and mouth area of Buglarians - an investigation by 3D laser scanning

Purpose : The objective of this study was to supply information about normal sex-related dimensions of the mouth area and lips among contemporary Bulgarian population (linear distances, ratios, angles, area, volume) and compare the results with other populations.Materials and methods : The three-dimensional coordinates of several soft-tissue landmarks on the lips and mouth were obtained by a non-invasive method with FastSCAN in 16 male and 23 female healthy subjects aged 21-35 years. From the landmarks, linear distances (mouth width, width of the philtrum, vermilion heights of the upper, lower and total lips, total lip height), the vermilion height-to-mouth width ratio, areas (vermilion of the upper, lower and total lip) and volumes (upper, lower, and total lip volume) were calculated and averaged for sex.Results : Comparisons were performed by SPSS 17.0. Data collected in the present investigation could serve as a database for the quantitative description of human lip morphology during normal growth, development and aging. Conclusion. Forensic applications (evaluations of trauma, craniofacial alterations, teratogenic- induced conditions, facial reconstruction, aging of living and dead persons, personal identification) may also benefit from age- and sex-based data banks