Malocclusion refers to an atypical alignment of the teeth and/or jaw bones—essentially a poor bite—such as overcrowding, overbite, underbite, or crossbite. Beyond dental health and aesthetics, malocclusion can influence speech production because the positioning of the teeth and jaws contributes to how sounds are formed; the teeth and dental arches act as structural boundaries that guide tongue and lip placement for consonant articulation. Significant malocclusions, like an anterior open bite, are commonly associated with speech distortions, such as frontal lisps on /s/ and /z/ or difficulty producing /f/ and /v/. When malocclusion affects speech or oral function, treatment often involves a combination of orthodontic correction and speech therapy to improve articulation and oral competence.
Shahbaa A. Mohammed et al., “Malocclusion Traits and Speech Disorders,” Medical Journal of Babylon 20, no. 4 (2023).
Matteo Aprile et al., “Malocclusion and Its Relationship with Sound Speech Disorders in Deciduous and Mixed Dentition: A Scoping Review,” Dentistry Journal 13, no. 1 (2023).
