Abstract
Statement of problem
Prosthetic rehabilitation with an obturator can help to restore or improve the intelligibility
of speech in patients after maxillectomy. The frequency of formants 1 and 2 as well
as their ranges were initially reported in patients with maxillary defects in 2002,
and the evaluation method that was used is now applied in clinical evaluation. However,
the details of formant 3 are not known and warrant investigation because, according
to speech science, formant 3 is related to the pharyngeal volume. Clarifying the formant
frequency values of formant 3 in patients after maxillectomy would enable prosthodontists
to refer to these data when planning treatment and when assessing the outcome of an
obturator.
Purpose
The purpose of this clinical study was to determine the acoustic characteristics of
formant 3, together with those of formants 1 and 2, by using a digital acoustic analysis
during maxillofacial prosthetic treatment. The utility of determining formant 3 in
the evaluation of speech in patients after maxillectomy was also evaluated.
Material and methods
Twenty-six male participants after a maxillectomy (mean age, 63 years; range, 20 to
93 years) were included, and the 5 Japanese vowels /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, and /u/ produced
with and without a definitive obturator prosthesis were recorded. The frequencies
of the 3 formants were determined, and their ranges were calculated by using a speech
analysis system (Computerized Speech Lab CSL 4400). The Wilcoxon signed rank test
was used to compare the formants between the 2 use conditions (α=0.05).
Results
Significant differences were found in the frequencies and ranges of all 3 formants
between the use conditions. The ranges of all 3 formants produced with the prosthesis
were significantly greater than those produced without it.
Conclusions
Based on the findings, both the first 2 formants and the third formant were changed
by wearing an obturator prosthesis. Because formant 3 is related to the volume of
the pharynx, evaluation of this formant and its range can reflect the effectiveness
of the prosthesis to seal the oronasal communication and help reduce hypernasality,
suggesting the utility of formant 3 analysis in prosthodontic rehabilitation.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 29, 2022
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofFootnotes
Funding: Supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI grant no. 15K20508 and 15KK0336).
Presented at the Virtual Meeting of International College of Prosthodontists, held online, from September 22 to 25, 2021.
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 by the Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry.
