ASSOCIATIONS AMONG DIFFERENT OROFACIAL DYSFUNCTIONS IN 9-11-YEAR-OLDS

This study is the second part of a longitudinal investigation on diffe rent orofacial dysfunctions in growing individuals. The aim of the pre sent report was to determine, in 219 children with and without articul atory speech disorders, whether certain associations among misarticula tions of speech, craniomandibular disorders (CMD), and problems in ora l motor skills still were found at the age of 9-11 years, as they had been in these children at the age of 6-8 years. Multiple logistic regr ession models showed that certain aspects of dental malocclusion such as large overjet, anterior open bite and lateral cross-bite, and certa in signs of CMD such as palpatory tenderness of the TMJ, jaw deviation on opening and bruxism were related to misarticulations of speech. Ch ildren with sounds produced too far posteriorly seemed to have a small er maximal opening but larger laterotrusive and protrusive movement ca pacities of the mandible than children with correct speech articulatio n. Despite maturation of the oral motor skills with age, among 9-11-ye ar-olds various orofacial dysfunctions still seemed to be associated w ith each other. This probably indicates fixation of certain speech mis articulations rather than immaturity of the fine motor control.