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Interventions for drooling in children with cerebral palsy
Margaret Walshe1, Martine Smith, Lindsay Pennington
1Clinical Speech and Language Studies,TrinityCollegeDublin,Dublin 2, Ireland. walshema@tcd.ie.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|February 17, 2012
Summary
This review found insufficient evidence to conclude the effectiveness of interventions for drooling in children with cerebral palsy (CP). More high-quality research is needed to guide clinical practice for managing drooling in CP.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Neurology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Drooling is a prevalent and distressing issue for children with cerebral palsy (CP).
- Consequences include social rejection, physical discomfort, and functional impairments.
- Current interventions for drooling in CP lack a consensus on effectiveness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of interventions for reducing drooling in children with CP.
- To provide evidence-based guidance for clinical practice.
- To inform future research directions in pediatric drooling management.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature search of multiple databases (inception to December 2010) and clinical trial registries.
- Inclusion criteria limited to randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs).
- Data extraction and analysis performed independently by multiple reviewers.
Main Results:
- Six studies were included: four on botulinum toxin-A (BoNT-A) and two on pharmacological agents (benztropine, glycopyrrolate).
- No trials were found for surgical, physical, behavioral, or other therapies.
- All included studies had methodological flaws, precluding meta-analysis.
Conclusions:
- Insufficient evidence exists to determine the effectiveness and safety of BoNT-A or pharmaceutical interventions for drooling in children with CP.
- Current evidence cannot inform clinical practice for managing drooling in this population.
- Further high-quality research is essential to address this knowledge gap.
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