A correlation exists between the etiology of anterior open bite, deleterious oral habits, and a few orofacial malfunctions. An association between the history of deleterious habits and the occurrence of lingual interposition during swallowing, as well as with speech disorders was identified. These findings emphasize the necessary interaction between orthodontists and speech-language pathologist during the treatment of patients. The rehabilitation role of speech-language therapy stands out, through the oral myofunctional therapy, emphasizing the positioning of the tongue during swallowing, speech and when in habitual position.

Purpose: to evaluate the need for speech therapy intervention in patients treated in the orthodontic clinic of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora. Methods: clinical examinations, application of questionnaire and clinical medical register analysis of 42 patients under orthodontic treatment in the Federal University of Juiz de Fora had been carried out. The first phase of this study was made up by the evaluation of the habitual tongue position, breathing function, deglutition and speech. Soon afterwards, data were obtained on morphologic aspects of the dental occlusion and information on the presence of deleterious oral habits. Results: one noticed that 92% of the examined ones presented alterations in the chew and the deglutition and 52% had some speech dysfunction. The graphical comparison of the measures for each variable suggests that it has the highest trend to have alteration in the chew in the individuals that are in orthodontic treatment for 19 months or above. The same is yet not valid for the subjects that showed alterations in speech and deglutition. Conclusion: the importance of speech intervention was noted in this study, especially in the alterations in chewing, the initial phase of orthodontic treatment.

OBJETIVO: estimar a qualidade de vida e fatores a ela associados de uma amostra de pacientes portadores de tumor laríngeo, na região Sudeste do Brasil. MÉTODO: amostra constituída por 60 pacientes em tratamento para o câncer de laringe em 2 Hospitais do município de Juiz de Fora, estado de Minas Gerais (Brasil), cidade polo regional e referência para tratamento de cânceres de cabeça e pescoço na região sudeste do Brasil. Com a aplicação do questionário Functional Assessment Cancer Therapy- Head & Neck , foram coletados os dados e submetidos à análises bivariada e multivariada, para atestar a implicação das variáveis na qualidade de vida dos pacientes de instituições de atenção terciária para tratamento de câncer. RESULTADOS: na análise bivariada, foram significantes as variáveis: sexo; anos de escolaridade; análise do tratamento recebido; acompanhamento fonoaudiológico e nutricional. Após a análise multivariada, ainda demonstraram associação independente: análise do tratamento recebido, tratamento fonoaudiológico e nutricional. CONCLUSÕES: a qualidade de vida dos pacientes envolvidos no estudo pode ser avaliada como satisfatória, sendo influenciada pelo bem-estar físico e funcional. O questionário Functional Assessment Cancer Therapy- Head & Neck, específico para cabeça e pescoço, mostrou que além dos fatores socioeconômicos e clínico-funcionais, os sociodemográficos também estão ligados à qualidade de vida dos portadores de câncer de laringe. Foi demonstrada também a importância do tratamento reabilitador fonoaudiológico e nutricional no ganho da qualidade de vida dos pacientes.