Speech

Speech depends on the interactions and coordination between lips, tongue, palate, teeth, and airflow. Malocclusion may disrupt these relationships by altered tongue placement, dental misalignment, and articulatory contact points, contributing to speech sound disorders (SSD) early in childhood.¹⁸

Anterior open bite is the most consistently implicated type of malocclusion and is strongly associated with distortion of the /s/ and /t/ sounds, caused by poor tongue posture and airflow. There is a dose-response relationship between the severity of malocclusion and speech distortions.¹⁸ An interdisciplinary approach is often recommended for optimal outcomes.¹⁸