Abstract: PURPOSE: To investigate the effectiveness of the orbicularis oris muscle overlapping of philtrum ridge reconstruction for primary cheiloplasty of unilateral cleft lip. METHODS: Between January 2013 and June 2013, fifty-two patients with unilateral cleft lip were significantly treated. There were 41 males and 11 females with a median age of 5 months and an average age of 7.4 months (ranged from 3 to 72 months). Primary cheiloplasty (modified Mallard Ⅲ) was conducted under general anesthesia. On the basis of functional replacement of orbicularis oris muscle, overlapping was used to increase the muscular thickness equivalent as prominent philtrum ridge. RESULTS: All incisions healed primarily. Good aesthetic results were observed in all 52 cases with satisfactory philtrum appearance during the 9-14 months (average: 11.4 months) of follow up. CONCLUSIONS: Overlapping of orbicularis oris muscle can create philtrum ridge and dimple with natural appearance, which is worth of wide clinical application.

Key words: Orbicularis oris muscle, Overlapping, Cheiloplasty