Oral Motor Facilitation Technique (OMFT) Affects the Drooling Control Ability of Children with Cerebral Palsy / 대한연하장애학회지

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.

Understanding the Drooling Evaluation / 대한연하장애학회지

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.

Management and Treatment of Drooling: Focus on Non-Invasive Therapy for Children / 대한연하장애학회지

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.

Management and Treatment of Drooling: Focus on Non-Invasive Therapy for Children / 대한연하장애학회지

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.

Study on the Status of Dysphagia Rehabilitation / 대한연하장애학회지

Objective@#The purpose of this study was to identify the current status of dysphagia therapy administered by occupational therapists in Korea as well as to obtain basic data to explore the development direction of dysphagia therapy. @*Methods@#This study surveyed occupational therapists who underwent rehabilitation therapy for swallowing disorders in general hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, and nursing hospitals from April 2019 to September 2019.Resdults: According to the results of the survey, dysphagia therapy has been actively conducted in rehabilitation hospitals, nursing hospitals, and general hospitals. In the area of dysphagia therapy, increased intervention of pediatric patients and psychiatric patients was confirmed, and various intervention methods such as compensation and restorative methods were applied. The results of this study confirm the importance of a structured environment along with the necessity of a systematic intervention system. Therapists who performed dysphagia therapy recognize the importance of evidence-based practice, but the application of evidence-based practice is proportionally low. @*Conclusion@#It was confirmed that dysphagia rehabilitation growing both quantitatively and qualitatively in the short period of 20 years after supported by insurance. In addition, due to the systematic evaluation and provision of appropriate treatments according to the symptoms, dysphagia rehabilitation is firmly established as the main area of occupational therapy.

Effects of Seasonal Differences in Testosterone and Cortisol Levels on Pain Responses Under Resting and Anxiety Conditions

PURPOSE: This study investigated whether hormones and pain perception are associated with exam anxiety, and also whether exam anxiety is affected by seasonal differences in testosterone and cortisol levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-six healthy males were recruited from a medical college. Anxiety was induced by having participants perform the Objective Structured Clinical Examination. Pressure was applied to the participants to induce pain. Pain thresholds, pain ratings, anxiety ratings, blood pressure, heart rate, salivary testosterone and cortisol levels were measured under resting and anxiety conditions in the spring and summer. Data were collected from 46 participants during the spring (n=25) and summer (n=21). RESULTS: Pain thresholds and testosterone levels were significantly lower under anxiety than at rest for all participants (n=46), while cortisol levels, pain ratings, and anxiety ratings were significantly higher under anxiety than at rest. In the spring (n=25), testosterone levels were significantly higher at rest than under anxiety, while there was no difference in cortisol levels between resting and anxiety conditions. In the summer (n=21), cortisol levels were significantly higher under anxiety than at rest, while there was no difference in testosterone levels between resting and anxiety conditions. There were no significant seasonal differences in pain and anxiety ratings and pain threshold. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that seasonal differences in testosterone and cortisol levels under anxiety and at rest may affect pain responses. These results also suggest that acute clinical pain may be relieved by managing anxiety that is related to a decrease of testosterone in spring and a large increase of cortisol in summer.

A Pilot Study of Postoperative Delirium in Spine Surgery

OBJECTIVES: Delirium is a common postoperative complication in old adults associated with adverse events including functional decline, longer lengths of stay, and risk of institutionalization. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the incidence, preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative risk factors of postoperative delirium in spine surgery. METHODS: Seventy-nine patients who underwent spine surgery were included. Preoperative assessments included current medical illness, number of comorbid problems, and the number of medications by past medical history, medical record, and interview with patients and caregivers. Intraoperative risk factors were evaluated. Laboratory data were checked preoperatively and postoperatively. The presence of delirium was determined by the Korean version of Delirium Rating Scale (K-DRS). RESULTS: Postoperative delirium was found in patients (7.6%). There was an association suggested between older age and postoperative delirium in spine surgery (p<0.05). An association was suggested between increasing numbers of medical conditions and postoperative delirium (p<0.05). Preoperative hemoglobin, hematocrit, sodium, potassium, calcium, albumin levels and postoperative hemoglobin and total protein levels were in the delirium group was significantly lower than those in control group (p<0.05). CONCLSION: This study showed that the postoperative delirium in spine surgery is not rare and several preoperative and postoperative factors are involved in the development of delirium. This pilot study is the first prospective trial in the area of postoperative delirium in spine surgery with a small sample size and short-term period, so further research with large sample size will be necessary.