Oral dysfunction in children with Downs' Syndrome: an evaluation of treatment effects by means of videoregistration

Abstract

The objects of the study were: (1) to analyse lip and tongue function in 24 children with Down's Syndrome as compared to an untreated control group of 19 healthy children; (2) to evaluate treatment effects of stimulation plates of the type Castillo Morales, in children with Downs' Syndrome. The range of the observation period during treatment was 4-11 months. Video recordings of 5 minutes (300 seconds) duration served as a basis for stop watch registrations of tongue protrusion and open mouth habit. Before treatment, the duration of tongue protrusion in the Downs' Syndrome group amounted to approximately half of the registration time as compared to an average of only 6.4 seconds in the control group. The values for lip closure differed only slightly. Following the insertion of the stimulation plate, the duration of tongue protrusion, in general, dropped markedly. No improvement in mouth closure or lip posture could be observed. A normalization of tongue function without the plate inserted was achieved after 4-11 months of treatment in 12 out of the 24 children. Follow-up registrations, ranging from 5 to 20 months, could be obtained in 7 out of the 12 successfully treated children. The results appeared to be stable in five of these children.