Objective: Describe and compare the results of speech and velopharyngeal function in children with classic and occult submucous cleft palate undergoing interdisciplinary treatment at the Gantz Foundation. Methods: The clinical history of all patients born between 2012 and 2017 with a diagnosis of classic or occult submucous cleft palate was retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative and postoperative medical, surgical, and speech and language history were collected. Results: Twenty-eight cases diagnosed at the age of 44.8±23.9 months were included. Of these, 71.4% presented classic submucous cleft, and 28.6% occult. Before primary surgery, 7.1% had a diagnosis of the syndrome, and 21.4% were under study. A total of 39.3% had hearing difficulties and 21.4% used tympanic ventilation tubes. A total of 60.7% had language problems, 39.3% had compensatory articulation, 17.9% had absent hypernasality, and 21.4% had absent nasal emission. The team indicated primary palate surgery in 71.4%, of which 85% performed the surgery at the mean age of 61.7±24.7 months. The surgical technique was Furlow in 88.2% of the cases and intravelar veloplasty in the remaining 11.8%. Then, 3 cases underwent velopharyngeal insufficiency surgery; 2 of them eliminated hypernasality and reduced nasal emission. The age of diagnosis (P=0.021) and the performance of velopharyngeal insufficiency surgery (P=0029) of the occult submucous cleft palate group was significatively later than the classic cleft palate group. Conclusions: Language, hearing, compensatory articulation, hypernasality, and nasal emission problems were recorded. A high percentage required primary surgery. Of these, a low proportion also required a velopharyngeal insufficiency surgery, which improved the velopharyngeal function of the children but did not completely adapt it. In this regard, early diagnosis is essential, as well as an analysis of each center primary closure protocol.

La insuficiencia velofaríngea (IVF) corresponde a cualquier defecto estructural del paladar blando o de las paredes de la faringe, caracterizado por la ausencia de tejido suficiente para lograr un cierre adecuado del mecanismo velofaríngeo durante el habla, lo que genera resonancia hipernasal y emisión nasal. En los casos de fisura con compromiso de paladar, el tratamiento para corregir la IVF puede ser quirúrgico o protésico, acompañado de intervención fonoaudiológica, pues la corrección física no elimina las alteraciones funcionales. Se presentan los resultados de habla obtenidos en un adulto hablante chileno diagnosticado con IVF secundaria a fisura palatina, rehabilitado en Fundación Gantz con prótesis de paladar obturadora y tratamiento fonoaudiológico. La evaluación mediante análisis perceptivo auditivo y nasometría evidencia una mejora del mecanismo velofaríngeo durante el habla.

Purpose The present study is aimed towards determining and comparing normative nasalance scores in Chilean Spanish-speaking adult men and women. Methods 40 women (age range 18 to 35, X = 25.79, SD = 5.83) and 36 men (age range 18 to 35, X = 26.45, SD = 4.08) were invited to participate, all of them without any previous speech therapy, neurological pathologies, intellectual deficits, hearing loss, syndromes, or other diagnosed pathologies that could impact speech production. A study of proper velopharyngeal function was performed, using a perceptual resonance evaluation. Nasalance was determined using a model 6450 Nasometer, during the reading of three standardized speech samples in Spanish: a nasal passage (NP), an oronasal passage (ONP), and an oral passage (OP). Also, the nasalance distance was calculated. Genders were compared using Wilcoxon tests for independent samples. Results The NP presented the highest percentage of nasalance, with 52.13% (± 4.73), followed by the ONP with 25.38% (± 3.7), and finally the OP, which presented the lowest value of 14.15% (± 5.03). Meanwhile, nasalance distance was 37.98% (± 5.32). Finally, no significant differences were observed when comparing the nasalance between genders (p >0.05). Conclusion The nasalance values obtained were similar to those observed for other Spanish speakers. Also, male and women showed similar scores. The results of this study are a contribution to the indirect assessment of velopharyngeal function in Chilean adults.

Purpose: to identify and describe wearable electronic devices used for monitoring mastication and swallowing in adults. Methods: two independent researchers searched the PubMed and MEDLINE engines via Ovid®. Primary studies were selected using Rayyan®, with analysis of titles, abstracts, and full texts. The information extracted followed a study protocol. Literature Review: 243 studies, of which 25 were selected for analysis after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, were identified. Data about the participants, devices, sensors, location, and analyses performed, were extracted. Conclusions: wearable devices for monitoring mastication have been used primarily in healthy adults, assessing the number of bites, cycles per bite and per meal, and mastication speed, rate, and time. For swallowing, these devices have been applied to both healthy adults and individuals with dysphagia, focusing on detecting swallowing activities and differentiating them from other muscle activities. However, there is a gap in the development of devices that fully integrate the phases of ingestion, processing, and swallowing, with greater clinical support to improve monitoring and application in different health conditions.

Background: The consolidation of specialized fields in health care requires not only scientific evidence and clinical refinement, but also clearly defined scope, competencies, and language, since terminological ambiguity increases overlap and hinders communication, comparability, education, and the organization of care. In this context, Orofacial Motricity was first recognized in Brazil as a field of practice, supported by institutional milestones that have defined its scope, standardized its terminology, and updated professional competencies. Furthermore, it has been consistently adopted in Latin American and European countries (e.g., Peru, Chile, and Portugal). In English-speaking countries, professionals working with Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs) and Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) are often organized under the designation Orofacial Myology, within diverse institutional and educational frameworks. Methods: This manuscript was developed as a non-institutional position paper based on structured reports from international collaborators, a documentary review of institutional and regulatory sources, and an exploratory terminological survey of databases. Results: Heterogeneity was observed in the use and conceptual level of these designations across countries and institutions, with more frequent convergence at the level of clinical condition and intervention (OMDs/OMT) than at the level of field or area. Conclusion: Clarifying the distinction among field/area, clinical condition, and therapeutic intervention may reduce ambiguities and foster scientific and educational comparability in the international context.