Effect of placement of a speech appliance on levator veli palatini muscle activity during speech.

Abstract Objective: The purposes of this electromyographic study were to examine whether levator veli palatini muscle activity during speech can be changed with placement of a speech appliance and to clarify whether or not the change is related to the type of speech appliance used. Design: Electromyography (EMG) was performed during production of speech samples in two conditions: with placement and with removal of a speech appliance. Speech samples were the vowel /ω/ and consonant-vowel (ω) syllables, including nasal, plosive, fricative, and affricate consonants. Setting: Division for Oral-Facial Disorders, Faculty of Dentistry, Osaka University Dental Hospital, Japan. Participants: Subjects were six patients with repaired cleft palate and velopharyngeal inadequacy (VPI); three routinely wore a palatal lift prosthesis to correct borderline VPI, and the other three wore a speech appliance hybrid that consisted of a pharyngeal bulb and a palatal lift. Interventions: Each patient was asked to produce each sp...