The effects of smoking on the dynamic vocal range of male smokers

Purpose  To investigate the effects of tobacco use, smoking duration, and number of cigarettes/day on the vocal dynamic field of male smokers.

Methods  A cross-sectional, comparative observational study was conducted with 62 men aged 18 to 59 years: 31 smokers (SG) and 31 non-smokers (NSG). Vocal dynamic field measurements were obtained using phonetography, which assesses frequency (minimum, maximum, and vocal range) and intensity (minimum, maximum, and maximum dynamic range). Comparisons between groups were made using the Student’s t-test, and correlations with smoking duration and number of cigarettes/day were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation test (5% significance level).

Results  Compared to the NSG, the SG showed significantly lower values (p < 0.05) for maximum frequency, vocal range, and maximum dynamic range, and higher values for minimum intensity. Increased smoking duration was associated with reductions in minimum and maximum frequencies, vocal range, and maximum intensity. Additionally, a higher number of cigarettes/day was correlated with lower minimum frequency.

Conclusion  The dynamic field of male smokers, compared to non-smokers, showed a reduction in the values of maximum frequency, vocal range and maximum dynamic range and an increase in minimum intensity. The longer the time of tobacco use, the lower the minimum and maximum frequencies, vocal range and maximum intensity. The greater the number of cigarettes/day, the lower the value of minimum frequency. Phonetography is an effective resource in voice assessments.

Keywords:
Voice; Acoustics; Tobacco Smoking; Public Health; Speech; Language and Hearing Sciences