Premature loss of the maxillary primary incisors: effect on speech production.

The residual effect of premature loss due to extraction of the four maxillary primary incisors on speech production was studied. The articulation of twenty-six subjects who had their teeth extracted before the age of five years was evaluated at eight, nine, or ten years old and compared with the articulation of an age-matched comparison group with normal exfoliation of their incisors. T-tests for related measures revealed no statistically significant differences between the group with premature loss and the comparison group. These results suggest that loss of maxillary incisors in children younger than five years is not likely to result in defective articulation while the teeth are missing or when the permanent dentition is acquired.