The technology of tongue and hard palate contact detection: a review

Abstract

The tongue and hard palate play an essential role in the production of sound during continuous speech. Appropriate tongue and hard palate contacts will ensure proper sound production. Electropalatography, also known as EPG, is a device that can be used to identify the location of the tongue and hard palate contact. It can also be used by a speech therapist to help patients who have a speech disorder. Among the group with the disease are cleft palate, Down syndrome, glossectomy, and autism patients. Besides identifying the contact location, EPG is a useful medical device that has been continuously developed based on the patient’s needs and treatment advancement. This article reviews the technology of electropalatography since the early introduction of the device. It also discusses the development process and the drawbacks of the previous EPG systems, resulting in the EPG’s upgraded system and technology. This review suggests additional features that can be useful for the future development of the EPG. The latest technology can be incorporated into the EPG system to provide a more convenient method. There are some elements to be considered in the development of EPG’s new technology that were discussed in this study. The elements are essential to provide more convenience for the patient during speech therapy. New technology can accelerate the growth of medical devices, particularly on the development of speech therapy equipment that should be based on the latest technological advancements available. Thus, the advanced EPG system suggested in this article may expand the usage of the EPG and serve as a tool to provide speech therapy treatment services and not limited to monitoring only.

Palatal Electrotactile Display Outperforms Visual Display in Tongue Motor Learning

“…Tongue motor training is commonly practiced by speech therapists, and visual feedback is often employed at the clinic to promote the training efficacy. For instance, SmartPalate system, LinguaGraph, and WinEPG provided real-time visual feedback inside the oral cavity [ 52 ]. However, there is a washout effect after the visual motor training [23], [24], which significantly limits the training efficacy and often frustrates both the therapist and patients.…”

Protocol for SonoSpeech Cleft Pilot: a mixed-methods pilot randomized control trial of ultrasound visual biofeedback versus standard intervention for children with cleft lip and palate

“…Over the last few decades electropalatography (EPG) has dominated the literature as the instrumental technique of choice for people with cleft lip and palate [ 6 ]. EPG measures tongue-palate contact using an artificial palate with electrodes embedded in it [ 7 ]. This real-time dynamic image of tongue-palate contact can be used as a biofeedback tool to teach patients about correct placement of the tongue.…”

“…U-VBF holds several practical advantages over EPG: it is cheaper and does not require individualized equipment. The one-off outlay cost of an ultrasound system that is suitable for speech therapy is approximately $6,000 [ 9 ], initial outlay for EPG is similar, but in addition each patient requires an EPG plate costing between $300-$570, not including the dental impression cost [ 7 ]. Moreover, while EPG images only tongue-palate contact from the alveolar region to the boundary of the hard and soft palate, U-VBF images from near the tongue tip to the root, with pharyngeal articulations, common in CLP, clearly visible.…”

Smart Electropalatography Thin-Film Flixible Pressure Sensor Array for Linguistic and Medical Applications

“…A pseudo-palate is the main component that consists of a palate with an array of electrodes and is used to detect contact patterns between the tongue and the electrodes. Since the first EPG system was developed in the 1970s at Reading University [3], there were several commercially available EPG devices such as SmartPalate system (CompleteSpeech), LinguaGraph (Rose Medical Solution), and WinEPG (Articulate Instruments Ltd) [4].…”