Speech adaptation to dental prostheses: the former lisper

Area of Science:

• Speech-Language Pathology
• Prosthodontics
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Speech adaptation to dental prostheses presents challenges for some individuals.
• Former lispers may exhibit unique difficulties compared to individuals with typical speech patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the speech adaptation strategies of former lispers using dental prostheses.
• To differentiate between adapting and non-adapting individuals based on articulatory and jaw position data.

Main Methods:

• Palatographic analysis of tongue-palate contact during speech.
• Measurement of tongue groove width for sibilant sounds.
• Assessment of jaw position changes over a two-week period.

Main Results:

• Former lispers frequently employed anterior-posterior (A-P) shifts in tongue-palate placement as a compensatory strategy.
• Non-adaptors demonstrated consistent A-P tongue contact shifts and retained initial articulatory patterns.
• Non-adaptors exhibited further tongue groove narrowing for sibilants, a pattern typically seen with unfamiliar prostheses.
• Jaw position data also distinguished between adapting and non-adapting groups.

Conclusions:

• Speech adaptation to dental prostheses involves distinct compensatory strategies, particularly A-P tongue shifts.
• Non-adaptation is characterized by consistent use of specific articulatory patterns and altered lingual/jaw kinematics.
• Palatographic and jaw position data can effectively differentiate between individuals who adapt and those who do not adapt to dental prostheses.