Intervención logopédica posoperatoria del frenillo lingual en niños, adolescentes y adultos. Revisión integradora de literatura

En los últimos años ha existido un aumento significativo en el diagnóstico de la anquiloglosia, las cirugías del frenillo lingual y las publicaciones científicas. Al respecto, es necesario que los profesionales de la salud conozcan el tratamiento fonoaudiológico en estos casos. El objetivo del estudio fue describir la terapia fonoaudiológica implementada en niños, adolescentes y adultos luego de la frenotomía, frenectomía o frenuloplastia lingual, mediante una revisión integradora de literatura. Para esto, durante el segundo trimestre del 2020 las bases de datos electrónicas PUBMED, LILACS, SciELO y Cochrane, fueron consultadas utilizando las palabras claves en inglés: “Ankyloglossia”, “Tongue Tie”, “Lingual Frenulum”, “Lingual Frenum”, “Surgical Procedures”, “Frenuloplasty”, “Lingual Frenulectomy”, “Speech Therapy” y “Myofunctional Therapy”. Se seleccionaron artículos originales relacionados al tema, y fue creado un protocolo específico para la extracción de los datos. Fueron encontrados 798 artículos. 39 se incluyeron luego de la lectura de los títulos y la eliminación de duplicados, 13 luego de lectura de los resúmenes y 7 luego de la revisión de los textos completos. Finalmente, tras un análisis de referencias cruzadas 10 estudios fueron incluidos en esta revisión. Se concluye la importancia del tratamiento fonoaudiológico en el abordaje multidisciplinario del frenillo lingual, abordando aspectos de movilidad lingual, habla y otras funciones orofaciales alteradas luego del procedimiento quirúrgico.

Invisalign System as a Treatment of a Skeletal Open Bite: A Case Report With a 5-Year Follow-up

Background: Orthodontic treatments of skeletal open bite are among the most challenging and at high relapse. Available therapies vary from behaviour-modifying appliances in growing patients to surgical approach in adults. Recently, clear aligners, such as Invisalign®, have also been proposed as a treatment modality, to be used alone or in combination with temporary anchorage devices. Case report: A 19-year-old female presented with 3-mm anterior open bite, peg-shaped upper lateral incisors, incorrect tongue posture at rest and during function. Due to aesthetic request, an orthodontic camouflage with Invisalign® was carried out for 17½ months, along with myofunctional therapy and composite veneers on upper lateral incisors. During the first months of retention, intermaxillary vertical elastics were maintained at night-time as positive feedback to the tongue. A 5-year follow-up confirmed stability of the results. Conclusions: A system of clear aligners in combination with myofunctional therapy was effective in the treatment of a skeletal open bite malocclusion, with stability at 5 years. The closure of the anterior open bite was obtained through a combination of lower molar intrusion, incisor extrusion and counterclockwise rotation of the mandible. In selected cases of optimal compliance, Invisalign® may constitute a feasible treatment option in management of open bite in non-growing patients.

Improving Adherence to Myofunctional Therapy in the Treatment of Sleep-Disordered Breathing

Myofunctional therapy (MT) is used to treat sleep-disordered breathing. However, MT has low adherence—only ~10% in most studies. We describe our experiences with MT delivered through a mobile health app named Airway Gym®, which is used by patients who have rejected continuous positive airway pressure and other therapies. We compared ear, nose, and throat examination findings, Friedman stage, tongue-tie presence, tongue strength measured using the Iowa oral performance instrument (IOPI), and full polysomnography before and after the 3 months of therapy. Participants were taught how to perform the exercises using the app at the start. Telemedicine allowed physicians to record adherence to and accuracy of the exercise performance. Fifty-four patients were enrolled; 35 (64.8%) were adherent and performed exercises for 15 min/day on five days/week. We found significant changes (p < 0.05) in the apnoea–hypopnoea index (AHI; 32.97 ± 1.8 to 21.9 ± 14.5 events/h); IOPI score (44.4 ± 11.08 to 49.66 ± 10.2); and minimum O2 saturation (80.91% ± 6.1% to 85.09% ± 5.3%). IOPI scores correlated significantly with AHI after the therapy (Pearson r = 0.4; p = 0.01). The 19 patients who did not adhere to the protocol showed no changes. MT based on telemedicine had good adherence, and its effect on AHI correlated with IOPI and improvement in tongue-tie.

Meet the Journal’s Editorial Review Board Members

I am honored to take on the role as Editor-in-Chief (EIC) of the International Journal of Orofacial Myology and Myofunctional Therapy (IJOM).To prepare for my role as EIC, I set two major goals to address today’s quickly evolving publication standards and the expansion and growth of the discipline of orofacial myofunctional disorders. The first was to establish an on-line submission and review process and an on-line archive for all past articles. The second critical goal was to recruit and enlist an international group of highly respected scientists and doctoral-level practitioners who represent diverse topics related to orofacial myofunctional disorders and therapy to serve on the journal’s Editorial Review Board (ERB). I am proud to introduce this new slate of ERB members.

Development of a concept for a mobile application to support orofacial myofunctional therapy

This study aimed to develop a concept for a mobile health application, an app-based exercise tool, to support the treatment of orofacial myofunctional disorders by speech-language therapists (SLTs). Method:A sequential mixed research design combining qualitative research and user-centered software development was applied. Qualitative interviews and focus groups were conducted with eight SLTs, one patient and three relatives to gather ideas for an app to support orofacial myofunctional therapy. On the basis of the findings, a paper-based prototype was developed, which was then evaluated by seven end users, to refine the concept of the app. Results: Qualitative data on desirable functionalities were clustered into topics and related subcategories containing general ideas for the app – a control mechanism, a reward system, the visualization of exercises, and pop-up messages for reminders and recommendations. The paper prototype was developed that addressed these functionalities. Discussion: An app-based exercise tool is considered to have added value for orofacial myofunctional therapy. A prototype for a mobile application is ready for programming and subsequent testing in the treatment of orofacial myofunctional disorders by conducting additional interviews to ascertain patients’ perceptions.

The Role of Myofunctional Therapy in Treating Sleep-Disordered Breathing: A State-of-the-Art Review

Myofunctional therapy (MFT) may have a role in improving muscle tone and alleviating upper airway collapse in sleep-disordered breathing. The purposes of this state-of-the-art review are to first review systematically the current literature on the effectiveness of MFT in treating sleep-disordered breathing and then to provide an overview of the current understanding of patient selection, side effects, type and duration of exercises, guidance of exercise performance, evaluation of results, and how best to promote adherence. PubMed (Medline), the Cochrane Library, and the EMBASE, Scopus and SciELO databases were checked for relevant studies by three authors, and a total of 23 studies were included. This review focuses only on adults with sleep-disordered breathing. The available evidence shows a positive effect of MFT in reducing sleep apnoea, as measured using polysomnography and clinical variables (including snoring). There is no evidence of the utility of MFT for treating upper airway resistance syndrome, the duration of the effects of MFT, or regarding which MFT protocol is best. Despite these knowledge gaps, the available evidence suggests that MFT is a safe treatment modality.