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Relationship between voice function and skeletal effects of rapid maxillary expansion
The Angle Orthodontist
|November 16, 2017
Summary
Rapid maxillary expansion (RME) significantly widened the midpalatal suture and nasal cavity. This orthodontic treatment also altered vocal quality, with notable changes in F0, jitter, and shimmer, linking voice changes to increased nasal width.
Area of Science:
- Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics
- Speech Science
- Radiology
Background:
- Maxillary crossbite is a common dental anomaly.
- Rapid maxillary expansion (RME) is a standard orthodontic treatment for maxillary hypoplasia.
- The effects of RME on vocal quality are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of RME on vocal quality.
- To assess changes in maxillary central incisors, midpalatal suture, and nasal cavity dimensions following RME.
- To explore the correlation between vocal parameter changes and nasal width increases.
Main Methods:
- Coronal CT scans were obtained before (T0) and after (T1) RME in 30 patients.
- Voice recordings were analyzed for parameters like F0, jitter, shimmer (%), and shimmer (dB).
- Paired-sample t-tests and Pearson's correlation were used for statistical analysis.
Main Results:
- RME significantly increased the transverse dimensions of the midpalatal suture and nasal cavity (P < .05).
- Maximum F0 and jitter (%) decreased significantly post-RME (P < .001 and P = .042).
- Shimmer (%) and shimmer (dB) increased significantly after RME (P = .037 and P = .019).
Conclusions:
- RME therapy leads to significant changes in vocal quality.
- These voice quality alterations are associated with the increase in nasal width observed after RME.
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