Comparison of orbicularis oris muscle strength and endurance in young and elderly adults.
Hee-Su Park, Jin-Uk Kim, Jae-Young Park and 2 others
PMID 30568338WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults pressed their lips to 9.3 kPa on the pressure sensor and held for 13.3 seconds, compared with 15.5 kPa and 38.5 seconds in young adults.
Reduced lip closure may matter for swallowing, but the study measured healthy people.
Key findings
01Healthy older adults had lower orbicularis oris muscle strength than young adults, with mean values of 9.3 ± 5.1 kPa and 15.5 ± 4.2 kPa.
02Healthy older adults had lower orbicularis oris muscle endurance than young adults, with mean values of 13.3 ± 5.1 seconds and 38.5 ± 18.5 seconds.
03The study compared 30 adults aged 20 to 35 with 30 adults aged 65 to 72, all without speech, swallowing, neurological, or lip problems.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only healthy adults with no speech, swallowing, neurological, or lip problems, so it does not describe people who need therapy. It compared two age groups at one time, so it cannot show that aging caused the differences or how these measures change across the lifespan. The sample was small, and the authors note possible measurement error and difficulty generalising the results. The methods text mentions a paired t-test for pre and post intervention, but the reported comparison was between young and older groups, so the analysis as described may not match the design.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the lower lip-pressure and endurance values as evidence that a swallowing or speech problem is present in older adults. The study measured healthy people with no speech or swallowing problems.