RESUMO
Objective To explore the short-term and long-term curative effects of proprioception training for pre-term infants with functional dysphagia. Methods Seventy premature infants with functional dysphagia were ran-domly divided into a control group and an observation group, each of 35. Thirty infants of the control group and 32 from the observation group completed the whole study. Both groups were given routine medication and interventions such as touching and passive exercise training. The observation group additionally received a comprehensive interven-tion based on proprioception training. The intervention lasted from the initial stabilization of their condition to the age of 3 months. They were trained twice a day, about 20 minutes each time. The clinical manifestations and complica-tions of dysphagia were evaluated on the 28th day after their birth. At the age of 3 months, the average body mass and development quotient (DQ) were compared between the two groups. Results At the age of twenty-eight days there were significant differences between the two groups in the average number of cases of oral milk residue and coughing or oral-nasal reflux after feeding, as well as in the total number of infants with complications. However, no significant differences were found in the incidence of aspiration pneumonia or dyspnea after feeding. The average body mass and developmental quotient of the observation group were significantly better than those of the control group at the age of 3 months. Conclusion The comprehensive intervention based on proprioception training has a good clinical effect on functional dysphagia among premature infants. It can improve their life quality in both the near and longer term, and it is worth popularizing.