Family Friendly & Specialty Dentists in London, UK
Subtopic 1: Anatomy and Function of Lips
- The lips consist of the upper and lower lips, called Labium superius oris and Labium inferius oris, respectively.
- The vermilion border is the juncture where the lips meet the surrounding skin.
- The vermilion zone is the reddish area within the vermilion border.
- The cupid's bow is the vermilion border of the upper lip.
- The tubercle is the fleshy protuberance in the center of the upper lip.
- The skin of the lips is stratified squamous epithelium.
- The lips have a highly sensitive mucous membrane represented in the sensory cortex.
- The frenulum labii inferioris is the frenulum of the lower lip.
- The frenulum labii superioris is the frenulum of the upper lip.
- The infraorbital nerve supplies the upper lip and the skin of the face between the upper lip and lower eyelid.
- The mental nerve supplies the lower lip and labial gingiva anteriorly.
- The facial artery supplies both lips through its superior and inferior labial branches.
- The muscles of facial expression, derived from the mesoderm of the second pharyngeal arch, act on the lips.
- The lips play a role in creating different sounds and are part of the speech apparatus.
- The lips enable whistling and playing wind instruments.
- Lip reading can aid in understanding speech for individuals with hearing loss.
- The lips have many nerve endings and contribute to the tactile senses.
- The lips are an erogenous zone due to their high number of nerve endings.
- Lips play a crucial role in kissing and acts of intimacy.
Subtopic 2: Physical Characteristics and Attractiveness of Lips
- Lips become larger and fuller in women with higher levels of estrogen.
- Full lips are universally perceived as more sexually attractive.
- Lipstick and lip enhancement techniques create the illusion of higher estrogen levels and increased fertility.
- Lip size is linked to sexual attraction in both men and women.
- Small nose, big eyes, and voluptuous lips are sexually attractive features.
Subtopic 3: Clinical Significance of Lips
- Lips can show symptoms of diseases such as cyanosis, inflammation, and carcinoma.
- Cyanosis causes a blue color in the lips due to low oxygen levels in the blood.
- Inflammation of the lips is called cheilitis and can have various forms.
- Cleft lip is a treatable birth defect that requires surgery.
- Carcinoma at the lips is predominantly caused by tobacco use and sunlight exposure.
Subtopic 4: Lips in Society and Culture
- Lips are seen as symbols of sensuality and sexuality.
- In many cultures, a woman's mouth and lips are veiled due to their association with the vulva.
- Lips are linked symbolically to neonatal psychology and the oral stage of development.
- Lip piercing and augmentation are done for cosmetic purposes.
- Products like lipstick, lip gloss, and lip balm are designed for lip care and enhancement.
Subtopic 5: Lips in Other Animals
- Lips are relatively unimportant folds of tissue in most vertebrates.
- Mammals have more prominent and mobile lips with attached muscles.
- Some fish have modified lips with sensitive barbels.
- Birds and turtles have hard and keratinous lips forming a solid beak.
- Clevosaurids have bone lips that protect their teeth.
This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2015) |
The lips are a horizontal pair of soft appendages attached to the jaws and are the most visible part of the mouth of many animals, including humans. Vertebrate lips are soft, movable and serve to facilitate the ingestion of food (e.g. suckling and gulping) and the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are also a somatosensory organ, and can be an erogenous zone when used in kissing and other acts of intimacy.
| Lip | |
|---|---|
 Human lips | |
| Details | |
| Artery | inferior labial, superior labial |
| Vein | inferior labial, superior labial |
| Nerve | frontal, infraorbital |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | labia oris |
| MeSH | D008046 |
| TA98 | A05.1.01.005 |
| TA2 | 2775 |
| FMA | 59816 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
