Study of Speech and Quality of Life Changes in Children Aged 8 to 10 After Treatment for Anterior Dental Crossbite

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the speech performance and quality of life of children aged 8 to 10 years who have anterior dental crossbite. This single-arm clinical trial aims to assess the impact of early orthodontic treatment during the mixed dentition stage on correcting the crossbite and how it affects childrens oral health-related quality of life. The study involves 50 healthy children who meet specific dental and speech criteria. The treatment uses a removable anterior expansion screw with bilateral occlusal coverage to correct the anterior crossbite. Before treatment, children receive full mouth care, and impressions are taken to create custom appliances. The device is inserted and adjusted with follow-up visits every four weeks until the crossbite is corrected. Speech evaluations are conducted before appliance insertion and after correction, using tests for articulation, speech intelligibility, and spectrographic analysis. Quality of life is measured with the Child Perceptions Questionnaire CPQ 8-10 in its Brazilian version. Participants undergo speech assessments by a phoniatrician and complete the CPQ 8-10 before and after treatment to track changes in oral health-related quality of life. Researchers measure the success of treatment by achieving normal anterior occlusion without crossbite, along with improvements in speech and quality of life over three months. The study monitors compliance and collects data on speech improvements and oral health impacts during the treatment period.

Impact of Anterior Cross Bite Treatment on Children's Speech Performance