Vertical interincisal trespass assessment in children with speech disorders

ABSTRACT

Through a transversal epidemiological study, conducted with 333 Brazilian children, males (157) and females (176), aged 3 to 6 years old, enrolled in a public preschool, this study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of the different types of vertical interincisal trespass (VIT) and the relationship between these occlusal aspects and anterior lisping and/or anterior tongue thrust in the articulation of the lingua-alveolar phonemes /t/, /d/, /n/ and /l/. All children involved were submitted to a VIT examination and to a speech evaluation. Statistical significance was analyzed through the Qui-square test, at a significance level of 0.05 (95 percent confidence limit). The quantitative analysis of the data demonstrated the following prevalences 1 - the different types of VIT 48.3 percent for normal overbite (NO), 22.5 percent for deep overbite (DO), 9.3 percent for edge to edge (ETE) and 19.8 percent for open bite (OB); 2 - interdental lisping in relation to the different types of VIT 42 percent for NO, 12.5 percent for DO, 12.5 percent for ETE, 32.9 percent for OB; and 3 - children with anterior tongue thrust in the articulation of lingua-alveolar phonemes in relation to the different types of VIT 42.1 percent for NO, 14 percent for DO, 10.5 percent for ETE, 33.3 percent for OB. The results demonstrated that there was a significant relationship between open bite and anterior lisping and/or anterior tongue thrust in the articulation of the lingua-alveolar phonemes /t/, /d/, /n/ and /l/; and that there was a significant relationship between deep overbite and the absence of anterior lisping and anterior tongue thrust in the articulation of the lingua-alveolar phonemes.