Lower Pitch Voice Produce by Effort Sound in Previously Uvulectomized Children

Abstract

The palatine uvula is conic projection composing of soft connective tissue which has a number of racemose glands. It hangs from the posterior edge of the middle of the soft palate of the roof of the mouth. It has circular muscle fibres at its base and helps in closing the nasopharynx during deglutition. Copious secretion from the uvula helps moisten the larynx and vocal cord to maintain quality speech. In the Hausas’ culture in Northern Nigeria, the uvula is highly demonized and blamed for a lot of health problems and risk of death and so all infants must ‘proactively’ undergo uvulectomy on the 7th day after birth, with few exceptions.  This study aims at evaluating the effect of uvulectomy on pitch quality of effort sounds of young children between 2 to 11 years of age. Eighty subjects were divided into two groups of 40 uvulectomized and 40 non-uvulectomized children which were further subdivided into various age ranges of equal mix of male and female. Audio frequency analyzer software is used to conduct the test and the result shows a reduction in frequency of the sounds produced by uvulectomized subjects, p<0.05.

Uvulectomy does affect the quality of sound produced in children giving a significant lower pitch quality.

Keywords: Uvula, Uvulectomy, Effort Sound, Frequency, Pitch

DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/90-01

Publication date:June 30^th 2021