Outcomes of an oral motor and swallowing rehabilitation program in patients with congenital myopathies.
Ana Luísa Capitelli Dornellas, Fernanda Chiarion Sassi, Ana Paula Ritto and 2 others
PMID 40638490WHAT IT FOUND
A four-week oral motor and swallowing program improved swallowing safety and oral function in adults with congenital myopathies.
Gains persisted at three months without further improvement, but the small, uncontrolled study cannot confirm the therapy caused the change.
Key findings
01Functional swallowing scores improved significantly from pre-treatment to post-treatment and remained stable at three-month follow-up.
02Oral motor assessment scores improved significantly after treatment, though mastication performance did not change.
03Coughing during swallowing assessment resolved completely after treatment, but other aspiration signs showed no significant change.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
No control group or randomization, so improvements cannot be separated from natural history, regression to the mean, or unmeasured concurrent treatments. Small sample of 26 patients from a single institution using convenience sampling, limiting generalizability. High dropout rate: 46 patients were initially enrolled but only 26 completed the first assessment and 20 attended follow-up. Participants with cognitive impairment, tracheostomy, or those living far from the clinic were excluded, so results do not apply to more complex or rural cases. The three-month follow-up interval may be too long to detect early loss of gains or to assess the need for booster sessions.
Declared interests
The authors declare no financial support and no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the oral motor program caused the observed improvements. Without a control group, the gains may reflect natural fluctuation, regression to the mean, or unreported concurrent therapies. The study also cannot confirm that the specific exercises prescribed were more effective than general swallowing care.