Open Access
CC BY 4.0 · Arch Plast Surg 2024; 51(01): 080-086
DOI: 10.1055/a-2175-1893
Pediatric/Craniomilofacial/Head & Neck
Original Article

Speech Outcomes in 5-Year-Old Korean Children with Bilateral Cleft Lip and Palate

Kyung S. Koh 
1   Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
,
Seungeun Jung 
2   Division of Speech Pathology and Audiology, Audiology and Speech Pathology Research Institute, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Korea
,
Bo Ra Park 
3   Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
,
Tae-Suk Oh 
1   Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
,
Young Chul Kim 
1   Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
,
Seunghee Ha 
2   Division of Speech Pathology and Audiology, Audiology and Speech Pathology Research Institute, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Korea
› Author Affiliations
Funding None.
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Abstract

Background Among the cleft types, bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLP) generally requires multiple surgical procedures and extended speech therapy to achieve normal speech development. This study aimed to describe speech outcomes in 5-year-old Korean children with BCLP and examine whether normal speech could be achieved before starting school.

Methods The retrospective study analyzed 52 children with complete BCLP who underwent primary palatal surgery at a tertiary medical center. Three speech-language pathologists made perceptual judgments on recordings from a speech follow-up assessment of 5-year-old children. They assessed the children's speech in terms of articulation, speech intelligibility, resonance, and voice using the Cleft Audit Protocol for Speech-Augmented-Korean Modification.

Results The results indicated that at the age of five, 65 to 70% of children with BCLP presented articulation and resonance within normal or acceptable ranges. Further, seven children with BCLP (13.5%) needed both additional speech therapy and palatal surgery for persistent velopharyngeal insufficiency and speech problems even at the age of five.

Conclusion This study confirmed that routine follow-up speech assessments are essential as a substantial number of children with BCLP require secondary surgical procedures and extended speech therapy to achieve normal speech development.

Keywords

bilateral cleft lip and palate - speech outcomes - 5-year-old - perceptual ratings - cleft audit protocol

Authors' Contributions

Conceptualization: K.S.K., T.-S.O., and S.H.

Data collection: K.S.K., T.-S.O., S.J., B.R.P., S.H., and Y.C.K.

Data analysis: S.J., B.R.P., S.H., and Y.C.K.

Writing: S.H.

Writing review and editing: T.-S.O., Y.C.K., and S.H.


Ethical Approval

Approval for the study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of this medical center (approval number: 2020-0913).


Patient Consent

The informed consent was waived because this study design is a retrospective record review.




Publication History

Received: 14 July 2022

Accepted: 26 August 2023

Accepted Manuscript online:
13 September 2023

Article published online:
07 February 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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