Assessment of Role of Palatal Dimensions on Speech in Cleft Lip And Palate Patients Treated with And Without Presurgical Orthopaedics

To evaluate and compare the speech in unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate children treated with and without presurgicalorthopaedics based on their palatal dimensions.Perceptual and digital evaluation of speech in cleft lip and palate childrencompared with there palatal dimensions.Twenty subjects with a history of cleft lip and palate or velopharyngeal dysfunction and speech disorder.Group differences in speech parameters were compared between those who did and those who did not receive the presurgicalnaso alveolar moulding appliance. The results were compared perceptually and digitally by two speech pathologists. The collected data was analyzed and subjected to Independent sample T test and Inter reliability Analysis.On evaluation of the maxillary arch,anterior arch width, antero-posterior arch length and Palatal depth was increased and Alveolar cleft width was significantly decreased in PNAM cases compared to cases treated without PNAM.The speech parameters like hyper nasality,audible nasal air emission were found to be significantly reduced in PNAM cases compared to cases treated without PNAM but consonant production error and voice disorder showed no improvement.Also,the speech understandability and acceptability was remarkably increased with PNAM. All the findings of the study indicated better speech and growth in maxillary arch form and symmetry in PNAM treated cases as compared to Non PNAM. Additionally,further research is needed to analyse other benefits of PNAM other than improvement in speech.