Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026

µTongue: A Microfluidics-Based Functional Imaging Platform for the Tongue In Vivo
Published on: April 22, 2021
[Investigation of tongue movements during swallowing with M-mode ultrasonography]
Chien-Lun Peng1, Rainer-Reginald Miethke, Suang-Jing Pong
1Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. einstein@tmu.edu.tw
Aim:
Evaluation of tongue movements during swallowing with a computer-aided, M-mode ultrasonography system in combination with a cushioning device.
Subjects And Method:
Motion pattern and activity duration of the tongue dorsum during swallowing were investigated in 55 volunteers.
Results:
The duration, amplitude and pattern of tongue movements during swallowing differed interindividually, whereas they were reproduced well intra-individually. We thus observed three characteristic variations in phases I and IIIb and two in phases IIb and IIIa. The movement pattern in phase IIa and in the rest phase was uniform.
Conclusions:
M-mode ultrasonography provides valid information on tongue movements without any side-effects and is thus a useful tool in the diagnosis and research of tongue functions in orthodontics and dentistry.
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