Effects of a palatal lift prosthesis upon the speech intelligibility of a dysarthric patient

Abstract

This report describes the construction and objective evaluation of the effects of a palatal lift prosthesis upon the speech intelligibility of a single dysarthric patient. Tape recordings of three 50 item word lists were made prior to insertion of the prosthesis (L1), 7 days after insertion of the appliance (L2), and 68 days after insertion of the device (L3). Six judges listened individually to each list and wrote down each word as they heard it from the tape. In all instances the patient was most intelligible after 68 days and least intelligible before the appliance was inserted. Differences between the intelligibility score means for L1 and L3 and L2 and L3 were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Results suggest that dysarthric patients can improve their speech intelligibility with a palatal lift prosthesis and that the effects of a prosthesis upon a patient's speech might be more adequately determined after the individual has used the device for a considerable period of time.