2014 Volume 77 Issue 2 Pages 76-83
In order to investigate the relationship between pronunciation function and prostheses, we compared and assessed the lip-tongue movements in young, healthy, dentulous dentists by measuring speech recognition error rates for written words and oral diadochokinesis using the continuous speech recognition software, AmiVoice Ex Dental, which enables chairside measurement. The study included groups of subjects wearing 1.5-mm or 3.0-mm experimental palatal plates and a group without the plate.
Recognition error rates of 3.5±0.9% were observed for the non-palatal plate group, 4.8±1.6 % for the 1.5-mm palatal plate group, and 8.4±2.6% for the 3.0-mm palatal plate group. The speech recognition error rates increased with the thickness of the plate, and significant differences were noted among the groups. Additionally, all subjects showed a decrease in the oral diadochokinetic value for articulation of/ta/ and/ka/ as the plate thickness increased, exhibiting a statistically significant difference between the non-palatal plate group and the 1.5-mm/3.0-mm plate groups, thereby suggesting impaired tongue movement. The results of the assessment from the viewpoint of continuous speech recognition and oral diadochokinesis suggested that wearing the experimental palatal plate may decrease speech recognition rates.
