The depth of the sulcus of the upper lip-a cephalometric study

This cross sectional cephalometric study used a mixed sample of 98 Brazilian-born white teenagers, aged 11-18 years, who had not undergone orthodontic treatment. Using the “H”-NB angle (angle formed by the “H” line of Holdaway to the NB plane), they were divided into three groups according to their facial profiles; harmonious, convex and concave. The depth of the sulcus or concavity of the upper lip (a line perpendicular to the “H” line) was compared to that found by Holdaway (1977). The results indicate that the depth of the sulcus of the upper lip in persons with either a harmonious or concave facial profile approximates the figures presented by Holdaway (1977), but patients with a convex profile have greater sulcus depth. There appears a direct relationship between the convexity of the facial profile and upper lip sulcus depth.