engleski

THE INFLUENCE OF THE ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT ON THE ARTICULATION

Though the orthodontic impairments do not play prevailing role in the ethiology of the articulatory impairments there is certain interdependence between the subjects´ orthodontic and articulatory status. The investigations show that the frequency of the articulatory impairments in the subjects with orthodontic problems is higher than in the normal population. The fundamental question from the point of view of the articulatory mechanisms is what is the structure of the relationship between the anatomic deficit in orofacial region and the compensatory mechanisms in the subjects with orthodontic impairments in their effort to achieve correct pronunciation. In the present investigation the question was raised how the one year orthodontic treatment and evident improvement of the orofacial subjects´ status influenced their pronunciation. The subjects with different orthodontic impairments were investigated. Total number of 80 subjects (average age 18,5 years) were classified in four equivalent groups: 1. crowding), 2. open bite, 3. malocclusion of class II. division 2 and 4. control group of normal subjects. The speech material consisting of VCV syllables repeated 10 times was recorded by subjects in laboratory conditions twice: at the beginning of the orthodontic treatment and after one year. Two groups of variables were measured: 1. gnathometric variables (based on the analyses of the teeth arch, occlusion and functional analyses of the articulation in orofacial region) and 2. speech acoustic variables (spectral picks for fricatives and affricates, duration of sounds). Gnathometric variables were collected by standardized methodology and clinical observation. Acoustic variables were measured by means of computerized PCquirer program. Discriminative analyses showed that the significant orthodontic changes registered in the crowding and malocclusion II/2 groups significantly influenced the pronunciation. The open bite group did not show significant improvement. Generally, it is possible to conclude that the connections exist between the subjects´ orthodontic and articulatory status and that orthodontic treatment can have certain influence on the reorganization of the articulatory mechanisms.

orthodontic treatment; articulation

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