Non-Instrumental Test for the Evaluation of Tongue Function

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Tongue dysfunction can indicate various local or systemic pathologies, impacting overall health.
• Current diagnostic methods for tongue function rely heavily on instrumental techniques like ultrasonography, MRI, and EMG.
• A gap exists in the scientific literature for dynamic, non-instrumental assessments of lingual function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel, non-instrumental test for evaluating tongue function within a broader bodily context.
• To provide preliminary insights into the neurological activities, balance, and muscle strength of the tongue.
• To offer a practical clinical tool for initial lingual dysfunction screening.

Main Methods:

• A new dynamic, non-instrumental test for assessing lingual function was developed.
• The test evaluates tongue balance and muscle strength to infer neurological activity.
• A review of tongue anatomy and a clinical case study are presented to illustrate test application.

Main Results:

• The described non-instrumental test provides a method for preliminary assessment of tongue neurological activities.
• The test offers insights into the patient's tongue muscle strength and balance.
• A clinical case demonstrates the practical utility of this novel assessment approach.

Conclusions:

• A dynamic, non-instrumental test for lingual function assessment has been proposed.
• This method can offer preliminary information on tongue neurological status, strength, and balance.
• Further research and validation studies are necessary to confirm the test's efficacy.