Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of tobacco on the voice in a relatively early stage of the cigarette-smoking habit (<10 years).
Material/methods: A multi-parameter acoustic analysis tool, the Multi-Dimensional Voice Program (MDVP), was used to obtain a set of 27 parameters from sustained vowel phonations of 134 non-dysphonic young adults (aged 20-29) of both genders, including smokers and non-smokers.
Results: Some voice parameters were significantly altered in young smokers when compared with young non-smokers, probably as a consequence of histological changes caused by tobacco. Main differences were observed in Frequency Perturbation parameters (jitter, sPPQ) for both genders, in Fundamental Frequency parameters (Fo, Fhi, Flo) mainly in women, and in tremor parameters (ATRI, FTRI) in men. The number of cigarettes smoked per day was related to the Fundamental Frequency values in women and FTRI in men. A discriminant analysis correctly classified 70-75% of the subjects in each gender group as smokers and non-smokers.
Conclusions: A combination of voice parameters seems to suggest a possible neurological effect of nicotine--or some other chemical component of tobacco--on the voice.