PURPOSE: to investigate the correlation between quantitative and qualitative methods of hard palate depth evaluation. METHOD: 74 children participated in this study. They were in mixed dentition phase and were evaluated by speech therapist and dentist, who made the plaster models of maxillary dental arch used later for measure. The quantitative method was measurement of molar distance and molar depth whose values were used to calculate the Palatal Height Index. The hard palate was classified into low medium and high palate. Qualitative analysis was performed through visual inspection of the plaster models by three speech therapists with experience in Orofacial Myology. The depth of hard palate was classified as low, normal or increased. The result was the consensus of at least two evaluators. For Data analysis the frequency of ratings was investigated and the Gamma Correlation Test was applied. RESULTS: qualitative method: medium palate (55,4%) followed by low palates (39,2%) and high palate (5,4%). Quantitative method: high palates (51,4%) followed by medium palate (43,2%) and low palates (5,4%). The Gamma Correlation Test resulted in 0,6212 (p<0,05) which indicates moderate correlation. CONCLUSION: the correlation between quantitative and qualitative methods of hard palate assessment was moderate. There was a trend in the qualitative evaluation to consider the palates deeper than the quantitative method. Therefore, it is suggested that both forms of analysis to be used in clinical practice.
Hard Palate; Evaluation; Measures; Morphology; Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences
