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Speech, velopharyngeal function, and hearing before and after orthognathic surgery.
1Department of Speech Pathology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Summary
Orthognathic surgery significantly improves articulation errors in patients with severe malocclusions. While most errors resolve within three months, some consonant issues persist long-term.
Area of Science:
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
- Acoustic Analysis
Background:
- Severe skeletal malocclusions can negatively impact speech articulation.
- Orthognathic surgery is a common treatment for these conditions, but its effects on speech require detailed investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of orthognathic surgery on articulation, voice, resonance, and hearing.
- To assess the longitudinal changes in speech function post-surgery.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 34 patients undergoing orthognathic surgery.
- Pre-operative and post-operative assessments at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months.
- Evaluation of articulation, voice, resonance, hearing sensitivity, and middle ear function.
Main Results:
- Thirty of 34 patients exhibited articulation errors pre-surgery, primarily affecting sibilants (/s/, /z/) and fricatives (/sh/, /ch/).
- Articulation improved spontaneously post-surgery, with most errors resolving by 3 months.
- A gradual decline in articulation was observed, with /s/ and /z/ errors recurring by 12 months.
- Voice, resonance, velopharyngeal function, and hearing remained unaffected by the surgery.
Conclusions:
- Orthognathic surgery effectively corrects most articulation errors associated with severe skeletal malocclusions.
- While initial improvements are significant, long-term monitoring is necessary for persistent speech sound errors.
- The surgery does not adversely affect voice, resonance, or hearing functions.