Abstract: Objective To investigate the size variation of Holocene Chinese mental foramen and mandibular foramen. Methods Measurements was conducted on Neolithic (n=54), Bronze-Iron Age (EM>n/EM>=186) and present (EM>n/EM>=92) adult male mandibles (EM>n/EM>=332) from Northern China, and data were analyzed using SPSS 13.0. Results The sizes of mental foramen and mandibular foramen in present mandilbes are bigger than that in Neolithic and Bronze-Iron Age. Conclusion The result indicates that the sizes of mental foramen and mandibular foramen become bigger in general from Neolithic to present day.

Key words: Holocene, Mental foramen, Mandibular foramen, Lineal measure, Human