J Oral Pathol Med (2011) 40: 181–186 Background:  The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (BMP‐2), BMPR‐IA, and BMPR‐II in metastatic and non‐metastatic lower lip squamous cell carcinoma (LLSCC). Methods:  Twenty LLSCC with regional nodal metastasis and 20 LLSCC without metastasis were selected for analysis of the immunoexpression of BMP‐2, BMPR‐IA, and BMPR‐II. The percentage of positive cells was evaluated according to the following parameters: score 1 (staining in 0–50% of cells), score 2 (staining in 51–75% of cells), and score 3 (staining in >75% of cells). Immunostaining intensity was evaluated according to the following scores: score 1 (absent or weak expression) and score 2 (strong expression). Results:  Regarding the percentage of positive cells, most tumors with and without metastasis showed score 3 for both BMP‐2 (P = 0.655) and BMPR‐IA (P = 0.655). For BMPR‐II, metastatic tumors exhibited higher percentage of positive cells in comparison with non‐metastatic tumors (P = 0.049). With respect to immunostaining intensity, most LLSCCs with and without metastasis showed score 2 for BMP‐2 (P = 1.000) and score 1 for BMPR‐II (P = 1.000). For BMPR‐IA, most metastatic tumors presented score 2, whereas most non‐metastatic tumors showed score 1 (P < 0.001). Strong expression of BMPR‐IA showed a statistically significant association with advanced clinical staging (P < 0.001) and high score of malignancy (P = 0.028). Conclusions:  The results of this study suggest that disturbances in the BMP‐2 signaling pathway may be involved in the development of LLSCC and that the strong expression of BMPR‐IA might be indicative of the development of metastasis in these lesions.