Intra- and Inter-Rater Reliability of Tongue Physical Function Assessments in Children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric medicine
• Speech-language pathology
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Tongue function is vital for feeding, sleep, and airway patency.
• Standardized methods for assessing tongue protrusion in children are lacking.
• Reliability of existing tongue function assessments in pediatric populations is underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability of a novel 3D-printed stand method for measuring tongue protrusion.
• To assess the intra- and inter-rater reliability of established tongue function measurements in children.

Main Methods:

• Fifty-six children (4-17 years) participated in reliability testing over three visits.
• Tongue protrusion and elevation strength/endurance, swallowing pressure (IOPI), mobility (MBLF-t), and frenulum restriction (TRMR) were measured.
• Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to analyze reliability.

Main Results:

• The novel tongue protrusion method demonstrated good to excellent intra- and inter-rater reliability.
• Most tested tongue functions showed good reliability, with slight variations in specific measures like protrusion strength.
• The Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI) based protrusion measurement showed good reliability.

Conclusions:

• Tongue function assessments, including the new IOPI-based protrusion method, are reliable for pediatric populations.
• These validated methods can be confidently used in future research and clinical settings.
• Reliable tongue function measurement supports better diagnosis and management of related conditions.