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Evaluation of a new concept of myofunctional therapy in children
Heike M Korbmacher1, Marco Schwan, Sabine Berndsen
1Department of Orthodontics, College of Dentistry, University of Hamburg. Korbmacher@uke.uni-hamburg.de
Insights
Face Former therapy, a new myofunctional therapy, significantly improved palatal tongue position and mouth closure in children. While initial lip strength gains were faster, long-term differences were not significant compared to conventional methods.
Area of Science:
- Orthodontics
- Speech Pathology
- Pediatric Therapy
Background:
- Myofunctional therapy is crucial for orofacial function in children.
- Conventional myofunctional therapy has established protocols.
- A novel approach, Face Former therapy, warrants investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of Face Former therapy with conventional myofunctional therapy.
- To evaluate changes in orofacial function, including lip strength and swallowing patterns.
- To assess the time to achieve habitual mouth closure.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study with 45 children (3-16 years) randomly assigned to Face Former or conventional therapy groups.
- Six-month observation period with clinical assessments every three months.
- Evaluations included lip strength, palatography, logopedic diagnosis, and orthodontic examination.
Main Results:
- All children showed improved orofacial function.
- Face Former group demonstrated statistically significant improvement in palatal tongue position during swallowing.
- Faster achievement of stronger lip pressure and habitual mouth closure in the Face Former group.
Conclusions:
- Face Former therapy is a viable alternative to conventional myofunctional therapy.
- It offers faster improvements in specific orofacial functions.
- Further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm long-term stabilization of results.
Abstract:
This prospective study was designed to evaluate a new concept of myofunctional therapy in comparison with conventional myofunctional therapy. 45 children aged three to sixteen years in need of myofunctional therapy were randomly divided into two groups: 19 children were referred to myofunctional therapy in private practices in Hamburg and served as controls. The remaining 26 children were treated with face former therapy at the Department of Orthodontics by a medical assistant specializing in myofunctional therapy. The overall observation time was six months. Every three months an overall clinical assessment was performed at the Department of Orthodontics by a speech pathologist and an orthodontist, who documented the clinical situation. The clinical examination included measurement of lip strength, palatography to document the swallowing pattern, logopedic diagnosis, and an orthodontic examination with reference to a standardized diagnostic sheet. In all children's orofacial function could be improved. Children treated with the Face Former showed a statistically significantly improvement in palatal tongue position during swallowing. They achieved stronger lip pressure within a shorter time than children who did not use the Face Former. However, at the end of the observation time there was no statistically significant difference in lip strength between the two groups. Habitual mouth closure was also achieved within a shorter time for children treated with the FaceFormer than children with myofunctional therapy. Face Former therapy seems to offer a good alternative to conventional myofunctional therapy. Longitudinal studies will follow to judge whether the established orofacial balance could be stabilized, i.e. the established physiological orofacial function becomes automatic.