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Background/aim: The aim of this study was to investigate submucous cleft palate (SMCP) patients in order to document the age of diagnosis, cause of referral, symptoms and palate findings, objective evaluation of nasalance and velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD), and intervention type. Material and methods: The archive of Hacettepe University Cleft Lip and Palate, Craniomaxillofacial Anomalies Research, Treatment, and Application Center was reviewed retrospectively, and 166 patients diagnosed with SMCP were documented. Results: The mean age of the patients at the time of initial referral was 10 years and 3 months ± 8 years and 5 months with the youngest being 1 month and the oldest 44 years old. The primary complaint of 127 (76.5%) patients was speech disorder. Seventy-nine patients underwent surgery, and the mean age was determined as 10 years ± 6 years and 8 months. Conclusion: The diagnosis of SMCP continues to be rather late, being delayed until a prominent speech disorder is present. Studies for the awareness of health professionals are of great importance for the early diagnosis and intervention of SMCP in order to prevent adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Voice onset time (VOT) may be affected by deficits in laryngeal or supralaryngeal structures. This study aimed to compare the VOT parameters between the children with repaired cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) and their healthy peers. Material and Methods: Thirty-nine children with repaired CL/P (X̅±SD age; 11.51±3.53 years) and 39 healthy children (X̅±SD age; 11.44±3.40 years) were included in the study. Clinical data including age, gender, speaking language, hearing status, type of CL/P, presence of lip/palate repairment, results of speech-sound disorder examination, and presence of malocclusion and/or oronasal fistula were retrospectively collected. VOT values for/pa/,/ta/, and/ka/syllables were obtained using Praat software and compared between the study group (SG) and the control group (CG). Results: VOT values differed significantly between the (SG) and (CG) which were prolonged in the SG for all measured/pa/(p=0.015),/ta/(p=0.045), and/ka/(p=0.037) syllables. In the SG, the longest VOT was observed for the/ka/,/ta/, and pa/syllables, respectively. Conclusion: The presence of CL/P may have contributed to prolonged VOT values in Turkish-speaking children. Since VOT is a reliable acoustic parameter closely interacting with speech structures, clinicians should be aware of this phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]