Orthognathic Speech Pathology: Phonetic Contrasts of Patients With Dental Discrepancies Pre- and Post-Treatment Analyses

NCT04117360 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 19-1196
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 180
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The investigators are studying how speech is effected by jaw and tooth position in jaw surgery patients. Eighty percent of our jaw surgery patients have speech pathologies, compared to five percent of the general population, but speech pathologists do not understand why. The investigators hypothesize that open bites and underbites prevent most patients from being able to pronounce words normally and surgical correction will lead to improvement in speech. Patients will be audio recorded speaking and patients' tongue gestures ultrasound recorded before and after their jaw surgeries to observe what changes occur in their speech and tongue movements.

Conditions

Dentofacial Abnormalities; Dentofacial Deformities; Dentofacial Anomalies, Including Malocclusion; Malocclusion; Malocclusion in Children; Dentofacial Disharmony; Skeletal Malocclusion; Skeletal Malformation; Speech Sound Disorder; Speech Disorders

Keywords

Dentofacial Disharmony; Skeletal malocclusion; Speech Sound Disorder; Spectral Moment Analysis; Tongue Ultrasound; Orthognathic Surgery

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in Speech Distortion Phonemes over Time

  Audio recordings of consonant phonemes will be quantitatively analyzed using spectral moment analysis yielding mean values.

  pre-operation through 9-15 months post-operation

• Change in Quantitative Tongue Gestures over Time

  Ultrasound analysis of tongue posture to quantitatively describe tongue position during speech.

  pre-operation through 9-15 months post-operation

Study Arms (1)

Dentofacial Disharmony Patients

Dentofacial disharmony patients who are seeking jaw surgery in UNC oral and maxillofacial surgery department and are seen in UNC orthodontic dentofacial disharmony clinic.

Other: Orthognathic surgery and Orthodontics

Interventions

Orthognathic surgery and Orthodontics OTHER

This study is observational. All subjects identified to participate will be undergoing orthognathic jaw surgery and orthodontic treatment.

Dentofacial Disharmony Patients

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 15 Years - 40 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population includes healthy patients who present in our oral surgery and/or orthodontic dentofacial disharmony clinics with skeletal underbites, open bites, and/or excessive overjet. These patients have decided (prior to our study) to pursue orthodontic treatment combined with orthognathic surgery to address their jaw disproportions.

You may qualify if:

• Jaw surgery patient at UNC with a skeletal open bite, underbite or overjet greater than 5mm.
• Age 15-40 years

You may not qualify if:

• Hearing loss
• Learned English as a second language
• Significant regional accent, as characterized by a speech pathologist
• Developmental delay, performing several grade levels below age bracket
• history of craniofacial disorder
• genetic syndrome associated with known craniofacial presentation
• history of craniofacial trauma
• history of prior craniofacial surgery (excluding extractions and dental procedures)
• Jaw surgery without fixed orthodontic appliances

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: lead
• North Carolina State University: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of North Carolina

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Dentofacial Deformities; Malocclusion; Speech Sound Disorder; Speech Disorders

Interventions

Orthognathic Surgery; Orthodontics

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Maxillofacial Abnormalities; Craniofacial Abnormalities; Musculoskeletal Abnormalities; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Stomatognathic System Abnormalities; Stomatognathic Diseases; Congenital Abnormalities; Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities; Tooth Diseases; Communication Disorders; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders; Language Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Surgery, Oral; Dentistry

Study Officials

• Laura A Jacox, PhD, DMD, MS

  Professor

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Laura A Jacox, PhD, DMD, MS

CONTACT

847- 702-0988; ljacox@ad.unc.edu

Sherrill T Phillips, BS

CONTACT

sherrill_phillips@unc.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 3, 2019
• First Posted: October 7, 2019
• Study Start: September 11, 2019
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Last Updated: May 25, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)