The Impact of Maxillary Advancement on Consonant Proficiency in Patients With Cleft Lip and Palate, Lay Listeners’ Opinion, and Patients’ Satisfaction With Speech:

Objective:This study investigates the impact of maxillary advancement (Le Fort I osteotomy) on consonant proficiency in patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) and explores how these patients and lay people perceive their speech 1 year post Le Fort I osteotomy.Design:Retrospective group study before and after treatment.Participants:All patients with CLP who had undergone Le Fort I osteotomy for maxillary retrognathia between 2007 and 2010 at Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden (n = 21). Six patients were excluded due to additional malformations and missing data. Two experienced speech and language pathologists assessed consonant proficiency, and speech accuracy was determined by lay listeners from pre- and postoperative standardized audio recordings. The patients’ satisfaction with speech postoperatively was collected from medical records.Main Outcome Measures:Percentage of oral consonants correct and acoustic analysis of /s/, lay listeners’ opinion, and patients’ satisfaction with speech.Results:One ...