ABSTRACT
Objective@#This study was undertaken to identify the effect of Oral Motor Facilitation Technique (OMFT) on the drooling control ability of children afflicted with Cerebral Palsy (CP). @*Methods@#Totally, 21 CP children with drooling problems participated in the study. OMFT was provided for 16 weeks (30 minutes, 1 session a week, 16 sessions). The drooling control ability was assessed by determining the severity and frequency using the Drooling Severity and Frequency Scale (DSFS) before, at 8 weeks, and 16 weeks after OMFT administration. The effectiveness of OMFT was analyzed at the time intervals using the Friedman test. Post hoc analyses were conducted by the Wilcoxon signed rank test and Kruskal Wallis test. @*Results@#Drooling control ability showed significant improvement after 16 weeks of OMFT. Although the severity of drooling significantly increased after 8 weeks, the frequency was unchanged. Our results indicate that OMFT is a useful oral motor treatment protocol to manage the drooling control ability of children with CP. We recommend at least 8 weeks of OMFT administration. @*Conclusion@#Drooling is an important problem in dysphagia. Clinicians need to show more importance in controlling drooling, and a comprehensive oral motor treatment like OMFT should be considered for children afflicted with CP.
ABSTRACT
The definition of drooling is very broad, Drooling is characterized by saliva flowing out of the mouth or moving behind the pharynx unintentionally due to various reasons. Drooling is affected by increased salivation, and oral motor and swallowing functions. The amount depends on the situation, place, mood, and concentration. There is a need for comprehensive evaluation and treatment since drooling could be stimulated by various causes, such as sensory, motor, cognitive, and behavioral. Drooling evaluation is divided into objective and subjective evaluations. The objective evaluation mainly measures the amount of saliva secretion using a towel, a container, and a dental swab, and assessing the frequency of drooling at a fixed time. Subjective evaluation usually evaluates the subject’s severity and frequency of drooling during certain periods. A comprehensive evaluation that identifies the effects of salivation on the subject’s daily life, social interaction, psychology, and self-esteem, and evaluates the degree of drooling according to various postures, situations, and conditions, also needs to be considered. Nevertheless, there are several difficulties in developing standardized drooling assessment tools. The evaluation contents and results may vary depending on the treatment approach, such as botulinum toxin treatment or oral exercise therapy. The current article will help understand and select drooling assessment tools for identifying and measuring outcomes in clinical settings and studies.
ABSTRACT
Drooling is defined as the unintentional flow of saliva out of the mouth or to the back of the pharynx due to salivary control problems and swallowing difficulties. Drooling is caused by posture, oral sensori-motor and cognitive problems, and medical symptoms. Treatments of drooling are defined under two criteria: 1) non-invasive treatment, which includes posture and oral motor therapy, and 2) invasive treatment, including botox injection and surgery.Drooling treatment should be initiated non-invasively and in a step-wise manner in all individuals. This mode of treatment is safe, age-free, and is considered the first line of therapy, before subjecting to invasive treatment.Clinical professionals provide non-invasive treatment via manual approaches, through passive sensori-motor stimulation to active oral motor activities. Comprehensive therapy protocols such as oral motor facilitation technique (OMFT) for oral sensory normalization, head and neck postural control, and oral motor function improvements, are required to help control drooling. Clinical professionals therefore need to deeply understand the reason for drooling, and provide qualified non-invasive treatment for intensifying drooling control.
ABSTRACT
Drooling is defined as the unintentional flow of saliva out of the mouth or to the back of the pharynx due to salivary control problems and swallowing difficulties. Drooling is caused by posture, oral sensori-motor and cognitive problems, and medical symptoms. Treatments of drooling are defined under two criteria: 1) non-invasive treatment, which includes posture and oral motor therapy, and 2) invasive treatment, including botox injection and surgery.Drooling treatment should be initiated non-invasively and in a step-wise manner in all individuals. This mode of treatment is safe, age-free, and is considered the first line of therapy, before subjecting to invasive treatment.Clinical professionals provide non-invasive treatment via manual approaches, through passive sensori-motor stimulation to active oral motor activities. Comprehensive therapy protocols such as oral motor facilitation technique (OMFT) for oral sensory normalization, head and neck postural control, and oral motor function improvements, are required to help control drooling. Clinical professionals therefore need to deeply understand the reason for drooling, and provide qualified non-invasive treatment for intensifying drooling control.