Nasometry Normative Data for Persian Normal Girls and Boys in Isfahan in Two Age Groups of 7-14 and 14-20 Years Old

  Hypernasality is a frequently occurring resonance disorder in people with cleft palate. Nasometer measures the oral and nasal acoustical energy during the speech that is expressed as nasalance score and is a quantitative assessment. The aim of the present study was to obtain the normative nasalance scores for 7 to 20 year-old people and to investigate the differences between genders and age groups. The present descriptive-analytic study was perfromed in 2016 on 7 to 20 year-old participants in Isfahan City, following cluster sampling method for choosing schools and simple sampling method to choose participants. After completing the informed consent and according to the evaluations, individuals who did not have difficulties related to speech, resonance, voice quality, and hearing entered the study. Mean nasalance scores were obtained from 220 participants (120 participants from 7-14 year-old group (55 boys and 65 girls) and 100 participants from14-20 year-old group (50 boys and 50 girls)) using the Nasometer (model 6450) during the repetition of low pressure syllables and reading Rainbow text. The mean obtained nasalance scores for low pressure syllables and rainbow text were 14/09 ±5/65 and 33/65±5/13 in boys 7-14 years old, 15/30± 5/11 and 33/59±4/04 in girls 7-14 years old, 17/75± 10/17 and 35/44± 94/4 in boys 14-20 years old, and 22/42± 9/8 and 36/64± 5/79 in girls 14-20 years old, respectively. Normative nasalance scores for 7 to 20 year-old Persian speaking people in Isfahan city was obtained that can be used as a reference for the clinical diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of resonance disorders in patients with cleft palate and velopharyngeal insufficiency along with the perceptual assessments.