Orofacial myofunctional therapy associated with the use of the stimulating palatal plate in children with trisomy 21: case studies.
Jéssica Ellen de Almeida Ferreira, Bruna Rezende Santos de Almeida, Tahyná Duda Deps and 2 others
PMID 37672408WHAT IT FOUND
Four children with trisomy 21 given a palatal plate, orofacial exercises, feeding and habit guidance spent less time with severe tongue protrusion after 6 months.
Lip posture varied, and the components cannot be separated.
Key findings
01All four children showed less time in severe tongue protrusion and in relation to the lower lip.
02All except participant 1 showed more closed lips, while participant 1 showed more open lips.
03At reassessment, none of the children had deleterious sucking habits, and families had no complaints of choking.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
This is a case report study of four children, so the results cannot be generalised. Adherence to plate use and exercises was not controlled. The plate and exercises were given together, so their separate effects cannot be identified. The authors state the posture assessment was subjective. Only 5-minute recordings were used, and the authors say they may not represent habitual posture at other times. Participant 1 showed more open lips after treatment, so lip posture did not improve in all cases.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the posture changes as proof the palatal plate works. Only four children were studied, the plate was used together with exercises, feeding guidance and habit guidance, adherence was not controlled, and participant 1 showed more open lips after treatment.