A novel procedure for the assessment of orofacial movement topographies in mice was used to study, for the first time, the individual and interactive involvement of dopamine D(1)-like vs. D(2)-like receptors in their regulation. The dopamine D(1)-like receptor agonists A 68930 ([1R,3S]-1-aminomethyl-5,6-dihydroxy-3-phenyl-isochroman) and SK&F 83959 (3-methyl-6-chloro-7,8-dihydroxy-1-[3-methyl-phenyl]-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine) each induced vertical jaw movements with tongue protrusions and incisor chattering. The dopamine D(1)-like receptor antagonists SCH 23390 ([R]-3-methyl-7-chloro-8-hydroxy-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine) and BW 737C ([S]-6-chloro-1-[2,5-dimethoxy-4-propylbenzyl]-7-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline) antagonised these responses, while the dopamine D(2)-like receptor antagonist YM 09151-2 (cis-N-[1-benzyl-2-methyl-pyrrolidin-3-yl]-5-chloro-2-methoxy-4-methylaminobenzamide) attenuated those to SK&F 83959 and released horizontal jaw movements. These findings suggest some role for a dopamine D(1)-like receptor that is coupled to a transduction system other than/additional to adenylyl cyclase, and for dopamine D(1)-like:D(2)-like receptor interactions, in the regulation of individual orofacial movement topographies in the mouse. This methodology will allow the use of knockout mice to clarify the roles of individual dopamine receptor subtypes in their regulation.