Effect of Partial Glossectomy on Speech of Down Syndrome Children

ABSTRACT

The anatomy of oral cavity in Down syndrome is characterized by hypotonic macroglossia, small oral cavity, and narrow palate with high-arch shape. Because of such characteristics, patients show difficulty in articulation, resonance and phonation. They also suffer from respiratory difficulty due to narrow upper respiratory tract which is exaggerated by hypertrophied tonsil and adenoid. So far we operated on 100 children with Down syndrome for partial glossectomy in average volume of 4.6 cc. We analyzed the results by means of questionnaires and speech test with multi-speech model 3700 program before and after the operation. After partial glossectomy, we observed that they could close their lips comfortably, and it can mitigate the stigma of Down syndrome. We could also observe the improvement in voice quality, pitch, resonance and articulation. Through paired t-test using SAS, we analyzed value of F1, F2-F1, and changes of fundamental frequency(Fo). After partial glossectomy, anteriorly positioned tongue of Down patients became significantly smaller in size and be located posteriorly.