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The Castillo-Morales approach to orofacial pathology in Down syndrome
G J Limbrock1, R Castillo-Morales, H Hoyer
1Kinderzentrum Munchen, Institute for Social Pediatrics and Youth Medicine, University of Munich.
Insights
Infants with Down syndrome often experience orofacial disorders. The Castillo-Morales Manual Orofacial Therapy and palatal plate effectively improved tongue protrusion and open mouth posture in a study of 39 children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Genetics
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Infants with Down syndrome frequently exhibit orofacial disorders, including hypotonicity of oral muscles and tongue protrusion.
- These issues can lead to difficulties with sucking, swallowing, drooling, and dentition.
- Secondary conditions such as malocclusions and open mouth habits can develop.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of the Castillo-Morales Manual Orofacial Therapy combined with a palatal plate in treating orofacial disorders in children with Down syndrome.
- To assess improvements in open mouth posture and tongue protrusion.
- To examine the direct impact of the palatal plate on tongue protrusion.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective study involving 39 children with Down syndrome.
- Treatment involved the Castillo-Morales Manual Orofacial Therapy and a specially designed palatal plate.
- Children received therapy for an average of 17.9 months, with clinical evaluations before and after treatment.
Main Results:
- Significant positive outcomes were observed in reducing open mouth posture.
- Significant improvements were noted in controlling tongue protrusion.
- The palatal plate demonstrated a direct, stimulating effect on tongue protrusion.
Conclusions:
- The Castillo-Morales Manual Orofacial Therapy and palatal plate intervention is effective for managing orofacial dysfunction in children with Down syndrome.
- Early intervention can improve orofacial function, facial appearance, and prevent secondary complications.
- This therapeutic approach offers a promising solution for improving the quality of life for individuals with Down syndrome.
Abstract:
Infants with Down syndrome often present with a familiar orofacial disorder which exists at birth or becomes more pronounced by the end of the first year. The primary pathology includes hypotonicity of the perioral muscles, lips, and masticatory muscles and a protruding tongue, later followed by active tongue protrusion. This results in problems with sucking, swallowing, drooling and dentition. Early intervention methods employing the combination of Castillo-Morales Manual Orofacial Therapy and his specially designed palatal plate, can improve orofacial function, facial appearance and prevent secondary conditions like pseudoprognathism, dental diseases, malocclusions, open mouth habit and pseudomacroglossia. This retrospective study examines the outcome of therapy, as prescribed by Castillo-Morales, in 39 children with Down syndrome. Normally, the average age to begin oral therapy is between six to eight months. The children were treated with the Castillo-Morales Manual Orofacial Therapy and his palatal plate for an average of 17.9 months. In this study, clinical evaluations at the beginning and the end of therapy focused only on open mouth posture and tongue protrusion. In addition, the direct stimulating effect of the palatal plate on tongue protrusion was evaluated. Significant positive results were observed in all three areas.