Xue Steve An, Lam Connie W-Y, Whitehill Tara L, Samman Nabil
Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2011 Mar;69(3):845-52. doi: 10.1016/j.joms.2010.02.038. Epub 2010 Jul 31.
To compare the vocal tract configuration between male speakers with Class III malocclusion and their normally developing counterparts and to investigate the concomitant acoustic changes caused by the alterations in vocal tract configuration.
Eight young male patients with Class III malocclusion and 8 normally developing counterparts participated in this study. Acoustic reflection technology was used to measure vocal tract dimensions in the 2 groups. A continuous speech sample and 4 sustained vowels (/a/, /æ/, /i/, and /u/) were recorded from each participant to obtain the fundamental frequency and the first 3 formant frequencies (F1, F2, and F3).
The results showed significantly greater oral length and oral volume for young male patients with Class III malocclusion than their cohorts. The F1 of vowel /u/ was found to be significantly higher in male patients with Class III malocclusion than their cohorts. The vowel space of the 4 recorded vowels was reduced and the F1-F2 formant map for /u/ was relatively more scattered in male patients with Class III malocclusion than in the control speakers.
This study has provided preliminary information on the effects of Class III malocclusion on vocal tract configuration and concomitant acoustic changes in young male patients.
比较III类错牙合男性患者与其正常发育的同龄人之间的声道结构，并研究由声道结构改变引起的相应声学变化。
8名患有III类错牙合的年轻男性患者和8名正常发育的同龄人参与了本研究。采用声反射技术测量两组的声道尺寸。记录每位参与者的连续语音样本和4个持续元音（/a/、/æ/、/i/和/u/），以获得基频和前3个共振峰频率（F1、F2和F3）。
结果显示，患有III类错牙合的年轻男性患者的口腔长度和口腔容积明显大于其同龄人。发现患有III类错牙合的男性患者中元音/u/的F1明显高于其同龄人。与对照者相比，患有III类错牙合的男性患者中记录的4个元音的元音空间减小，/u/的F1-F2共振峰图相对更分散。
本研究提供了关于III类错牙合对年轻男性患者声道结构和相应声学变化影响的初步信息。
