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Drooling outcome measures in paediatric disability: a systematic review
E Sforza1, R Onesimo2, C Leoni2
1Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Catholic University of Rome, Rome, Italy. elisabetta.sforza@unicatt.it.
European Journal of Pediatrics
|April 20, 2022
Summary
Sialorrhea (drooling) measurement tools for children with disabilities are limited. This review identified 19 measures, with the 5-min Drooling Quotient and Drooling Impact Scale showing promise for clinical use.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Clinical Measurement
Background:
- Sialorrhea (drooling) is a common challenge in children with cerebral palsy, rare diseases, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
- Physicians often lack confidence in current methods for measuring sialorrhea in pediatric populations.
- There is a need for reliable and validated outcome measures to guide clinical decision-making for sialorrhea management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and identify validated outcome measures for assessing sialorrhea in children.
- To evaluate the measurement properties and quality of available sialorrhea assessment tools.
- To determine which measures offer the most reliable and clinically useful data for pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature search was conducted across four databases following PRISMA guidelines.
- The COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist was used for quality appraisal.
- Full-text articles were evaluated, and 19 distinct outcome measures were identified and analyzed.
Main Results:
- Nineteen different sialorrhea outcome measures were identified, including quantitative tools and parent/proxy questionnaires.
- The 5-min Drooling Quotient demonstrates objective discrimination of sialorrhea frequency in children with developmental disabilities.
- The Drooling Impact Scale and modified drooling questionnaire show potential for assessing treatment changes, severity, and social impact.
Conclusions:
- The 5-min Drooling Quotient, Drooling Impact Scale, and modified drooling questionnaire are among the few tools with adequate measurement properties for pediatric sialorrhea.
- A combination of quantitative measures and parent/proxy reports may provide a comprehensive assessment of sialorrhea.
- Further research on the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of these measures is needed to confirm their clinical utility.
