The effect of incorporation of posterior palatal seal and rugae in complete denture on perceptual and acoustic dimensions of denture wearer’s speech

Context: If the dentures satisfy the requirement of function and esthetics, Patients usually maintain acceptable speech. However, few patients with complete dentures face difficulty and their speech becomes a matter of concern. Recording the posterior palatal seal area and palatal rugae provides a psychological satisfaction in terms of good fit and good phonetics. Aim: To compare the perceptual and acoustic characteristics of velar sounds like/ka/,/ga/ and stop consonanats like /ta/, /da/ in an edentulous patient, with and without Posterior palatal seal and palatal rugae area recorded in the denture of complete denture wearers. Materials and Methods: The study group was then divided into two groups. In the first fifteen patients’ dentures only the posterior palatal seal was incorporated using mouth temperature wax. The speech language pathologist again recorded speech samples both perceptually and acoustically. Then the rugae were incorporated into their dentures and again the speech analysis was carried out. For the remaining fifteen patients’ dentures, only the rugae were incorporated using modelling wax. The speech language pathologist recorded speech samples both perceptually and acoustically for these patients. Then the posterior palatal seal was incorporated into their dentures and again the speech analysis was carried out. In the entire appointments patient were evaluated for the same speech and velar stop consonant monosyllable /ka/ and /ga/ mainly, along with letters like t, d. Results: Acoustic analysis showed a significant relationship between the acoustic characteristics of velar sounds and stop consonant with the posterior palatal seal and rugae area record in the denture. Conclusions and clinical Implications: The study implies that Prosthodontist and Speech Language Pathologist can work together as a team for more accurate fabrication of the denture.