• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.59-67
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• 2006

There exist patients complaining speech problem due to dysesthesia or anesthesia following dental surgical procedure accompanied by local anesthesia in clinical setting. However, it is not clear whether sensory problems in orofacial region may have an influence on motor speech abilities. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether transitory sensory impairment of mandibular nerve by local anesthesia may influence on the motor speech abilities and thus to evaluate possibility of distorted motor speech abilities due to dysesthesia of mandibular nerve. The subjects in this study consisted of 7 men and 3 women, whose right inferior alveolar nerve, lingual nerve and long buccal nerve was anesthetized by 1.8 mL lidocaine containing 1:100,000 epinephrine. All the subjects were instructed to self estimate degree of anesthesia on the affected region and speech discomfort with VAS before anesthesia, 30 seconds, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 minutes after anesthesia. In order to evaluate speech problems objectively, the words and sentences suggested to be read for testing speech speed, diadochokinetic rate, intonation, tremor and articulation were recorded according to the time and evaluated using a Computerized Speech $Lab^{(R)}$. Articulation was evaluated by a speech language clinician. The results of this study indicated that subjective discomfort of speech and depth of anesthesia was increased with time until 60 minutes after anesthesia and then decreased. Degree of subjective speech discomfort was correlated with depth of anesthesia self estimated by each subject. On the while, there was no significant difference in objective assessment item including speech speed, diadochokinetic rate, intonation and tremor. There was no change in articulation related with anesthesia. Based on the results of this study, it is not thought that sensory impairment of unilateral mandibular nerve deteriorates motor speech abilities in spite of individual's complaint of speech discomfort.