[Sonography--a diagnostic tool for the dynamic functional analysis of the tongue]

The possibility of using ultrasonography to analyse tongue function in the orthodontic setting was investigated in a pilot study involving ten dental students and ten adult, former patients with cleft, lip, jaw and palate. The ultrasonograms were videotaped and the contour of the tongue at rest and during swallowing was analysed in an extremely slow-motion playback mode. Ultrasonography was capable of clearly showing differences in tongue function between both groups. Ultrasonography may therefore be considered a useful technique for visualisation of individual tongue movements. In orthodontics, ultrasonography could be extremely helpful for the long-term documentation of myofunctional treatment, craniofacial anomalies, or in epidemiological research. Standard conditions for investigation and analysis of results still have to be elaborated.