The impact of diastema on the articulation of speech sounds

Abstract

Introduction: The faculty of speech in humans is a distinguishing trait that sets them apart from all other biological species. Speech production is typically achieved through the processes of phonation and articulation. The acoustic method of studying speech is an individual auditory approach based on hearing as a biological analyzer. Aim: The present study aims to conduct a speech assessment of patients with single frontal maxillary defects, divided into two stages: an initial speech assessment before prosthetic treatment and a secondary speech assessment after temporary prosthetic restorations. The study will also investigate the factors influencing the improvement of sound articulation. Materials and methods: A total of 40 patients (17 men and 23 women) with diastema and healthy vocal cords were included in the study for primary and secondary speech assessments. 60 speech therapy indicators were examined. Results: In our study, improvement was observed in 30 out of 60 speech therapy indicators. The greatest improvement was noted in the pronunciation of alveolodental consonants (‘S’, ‘TS’, ‘L’). A moderate negative linear correlation suggested that as age increased, the degree of improvement decreased (p=0.343). Conclusions: The distortion of consonants in Bulgarian among patients with diastema remains within normal parameters. The richness of sounds in the Bulgarian language, in conjunction with the capabilities of contemporary dental prosthetics, underscores the necessity for subsequent in-depth studies of speech function following prosthetic rehabilitation in future research with a larger sample size.