Acoustic signal intensity analysis in patients with dysphonia rehabilitated with two different designs for tongue prostheses: A cross-over study.

Statement of problem: Studies on the significance of intensity on speech production with a tongue prosthesis are lacking, despite this being an important criterion in speech production in patients with total glossectomy.

Purpose: The purpose of this cross-over clinical study was to assess acoustic signal intensity and frequency in patients with total glossectomy rehabilitated with mandibular dentures with 2 different attachment designs for the tongue prosthesis.

Material and methods: Seven participants initially received a mandibular denture with a tongue prosthesis attached using an acrylic resin plate. After a period of 3 months, the dentures were retrieved and modified by replacing the acrylic resin plate with a metal framework as an attachment to the tongue prosthesis to be used for another 3 months with no washout period. The intensity and acoustic energy frequency of acoustic signals were recorded and analyzed for both denture designs at insertion, after 1 month, and after 3 months using 2-way repeated ANOVA (α=.01). Patient satisfaction was evaluated at the end of the follow-up period using a questionnaire. Participants were asked about comfort, phonation, and deglutition ability. The McNemar test was used for all parameters (α=.01).

Results: Intensity mean ±standard deviation values for the acrylic resin plate group were 21.56 ±0.54 at insertion, 19.23 ±0.25 at 1 month, and 15.46 ±0.21 at 3 months. For the metal framework group, they were 19.05 ±0.19 at insertion, 16.88 ±0.16 at 1 month, and 13.98 ±0.09 at 3 months. The differences were statistically significant (P<.01).

Conclusions: The intensity of the sound (loudness) decreased in the metal framework group, which affects the ability to increase volume in a noisy environment. Participants showed higher satisfaction with the comfort of the metal framework design compared with the acrylic resin plate design. However, participants showed higher satisfaction with the deglutition ability while using the acrylic resin plate when compared with the metal framework.