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Updated: May 11, 2026

Method of Studying Palatal Fusion using Static Organ Culture
Published on: September 19, 2015
[A preliminary study on the consonant articulation of older patients with cleft palate]
Heng Yin1, Chunli Guo, Bing Shi
1State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Dept. of Cleft Lip and Palate, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
Objective:
To investigate the consonant pronunciation characteristics of older unoperated cleft palate patients.
Methods:
One hundred unoperated cleft palate patients (more than 8 years old) were included. Subjective speech assessment was delivered to each patient. The incidence and distribution of varies consonant misarticulation errors consisting of manners and places of articulation were summarized.
Results:
Consonant misarticulation existed among 86% of all cases. Compensatory misarticulation was observed in 66% patients, while 14% patients demonstrated completely normal articulation. The articulation manners of the highest correction rate, in succession, were nasals, lateral, fricatives, stops, and affricates. The error type of stops and affricates mainly consisted of compensation and omission. The articulation places of the highest correction rate, in succession, were bilabial, alveolar, linguadental, and velar.
Conclusion:
Compensatory, omission, and substitution, which happen in all the stops, fricatives and affricates, are the top three misarticulation. The misarticulation incidence of unaspirated sound is higher than that of aspirated. Compensatory errors a the most common ones in aspirated sounds, while omission and weak pressure are more frequent in unaspirated sounds. Weak pressure is mainly observed in unaspirated consonants. As the articulation spot move backward, the compensation of fricatives and stops deteriorate, the omission of affricates increase.

