Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 25, 2026

Live Imaging of Mouse Secondary Palate Fusion
Published on: July 27, 2017
Tongue-palate contact patterns for Japanese speakers with and without cleft lip and palate
1Yamamoto Dental Clinic, EPG Research Centre, Nishinomiya, Japan.
Abstract:
Purpose: Visual feedback therapy, using electropalatography (EPG), has been used to remedy residual articulation errors associated with cleft palate. The tongue-palate contact patterns of typical speakers without cleft palate are usually used as a model. However, it is questionable whether these model patterns are adequate for clients with repaired cleft palate, as their dento-palatal morphology is different from non-cleft speakers. The objective of this study was to investigate the differences in tongue-palate contact patterns between typical speakers with and without cleft palate.Method: EPG data were recorded for alveolar consonants in 15 participants with repaired unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) whose speech was perceptually assessed as typical Japanese. The cumulative templates for each consonant were generated from the maximum contact frame; quantitative analyses (centre of gravity [CoG], variability index) were performed. Fifteen typical Japanese speakers without cleft served as a control group.Result: EPG patterns for each consonant were generally similar between groups. The CoG value of the UCLP group was significantly lower only for /s/. The average variability index was higher for every consonant but the comparisons did not reach significance.Conclusion: The typical tongue-palate contact patterns can be used as a model of visual feedback therapy.
Related Concept Videos
Tongue
Anatomical Position in the Oral Cavity
The tongue is located within the oral cavity, also known as the mouth. It is attached to the floor of the mouth by a fold of mucous membrane called the...
Tip-of-the-Tongue Phenomenon
The Tongue and Taste Buds
Contact-dependent Signaling
Gap Junctions
In animal cells, gap junctions are formed...
Contact Angle
The adhesive force is the molecular force between molecules of different materials, that is, between the molecules of the solid and the liquid. The cohesive...
Fixed Action Patterns

