COMPARISON OF NASALANCE SCORES IN UPRIGHT, SEMI-UPRIGHT AND SUPINE POSITIONS IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS
1Cappadocia University, School of Health Sciences, Department of Speech and Language Therapy, Nevşehir, Türkiye2Tarsus University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Speech and Language Therapy, Mersin, Türkiye Objective: This study aimed to compare nasalance scores in three different body positions-upright, semi-upright, and supine-in healthy individuals. Understanding the impact of gravity and body positioning on velopharyngeal function during speech can provide insights into optimal assessment conditions, particularly in contexts like resonance disorders and velopharyngeal dysfunction surgeries.
Material and Methods: A total of 70 native Turkish-speaking participants aged 20-52 were included. Nasalance scores were measured using a Nasometer II in three positions: supine, semi-upright, and upright. The assessment involved three speech passages representing oral, oronasal, and nasal phonetic contexts. Data were examined through Friedman tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests with Bonferroni corrections to identify significant differences between positions.
Result: Significant differences in nasalance scores were observed in nasalance scores between the supine and semi-upright positions across all phonetic contexts (p<.001). The upright position also exhibited notable differences compared to the supine position in oral and oronasal passages, suggesting that posture affects nasalance scores.
Conclusion: Body positioning significantly influences nasalance scores in healthy individuals. The results suggest that speech assessments and decisions regarding velopharyngeal dysfunction surgeries should consider the body position to ensure functional and reliable results, particularly in clinical settings where upright posture might better represent natural speech production conditions.
Keywords : Nasalance, Resonance Disorders, Body Position, Gravity