Postural defects and speech disorders

Abstract

The human body is a structure in which each part is closely related to the other. This chain of interdependence should contribute to a holistic view of a human being and a perception of a disease as a potential consequence of other body dysfunctions rather than an independent entity. Only such a therapeutic approach can produce positive effects. This overview shows the importance of proper body posture and its significant effects on the stomatognathic apparatus and speech in a child. The paper consists of three parts followed by a discussion. The first part presents the aetiology of postural pathologies and a brief characteristics of selected postural defects that are most common among children and adolescents. The second part focuses on the correlations between postural disorders and malocclusions in children. Data derived from literature and research indicate significant effects of postural disorders on the human stomatognathic system. The third part presents a brief description of malocclusions and their effects on defective articulation of sounds. A list of defective consonant phonemes in different types of malocclusion is presented in the form of table. The discussion summarises the work and further expands the subject by presenting the indirect effects of postural defects on the speech in children and adolescents. The study highlighted the importance of early corrective intervention in postural defects to prevent the development of further body dysfunctions, such as defective articulation or other malocclusion-related deficits. An interdisciplinary approach supported by multidisciplinary compensatory measures is important in children with speech disorders coexisting with malocclusion.

Keywords

• speech defects
• body posture
• occlusion