Summary Background Lingual exercises are commonly used in clinical practice for swallowing rehabilitation. Associating lingual exercises with computer games increases motivation, which influences tongue motor performance. Objective To investigate the effects of tongue movement direction; resistance force level; repetition number; sustained tongue contraction duration; age and gender on tongue motor performance in healthy adults using computer games. Methods An observational pilot study was carried out at a university laboratory. Nine healthy adults, aged 22 to 38 years, used an intra‐oral joystick controlled by the tongue to play four computer games. The participants had to reach 12 targets that appeared on the computer screen using the intra‐oral joystick. Motor performance was measured by the number of attempts to score and the time during which the target force was maintained. Tongue motor performance was compared among tongue movement direction, resistance force level, game round number, and continuous force application time on the target, age and gender. Results The number of attempts depended significantly on the direction, continuous force application time on the target and age. The time during which the target force was maintained depended significantly on the direction, continuous force application time on the target and game round number. There were no significant differences in the comparisons by gender or by resistance force level. Conclusions It was seen that young adults had their best performance in the downward direction, on the third round, holding the force for a shorter time. The performance deteriorated as age increased.

The tongue plays an important role in oral functions. Reduced tongue strength is often noted among children with mouth-breathing behaviour. The purposes of this study were to measure the tongue pressure in children with mouth-breathing behaviour, to compare these values to those of children with nasal-breathing behaviour and to analyse the relationship between age and tongue pressure in children with a mouth-breathing pattern and in children with a nasal-breathing pattern. In this cross-sectional analytical observational study, we enroled 40 children aged 5-12 years who either exhibited mouth-breathing behaviour (n = 20) or nasal-breathing behaviour (gender- and age-matched [±2 years] controls; n = 20). Tongue pressure was evaluated using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument; 3 measurements were recorded for each participant, with a 30-seconds rest interval. The average tongue pressure in the mouth-breathing group was lower than that in the nasal-breathing group. There was no difference in tongue pressure between genders. There was a strong and direct correlation between tongue pressure and age in the nasal-breathing group. The breathing pattern impacts tongue pressure development.

Several techniques for superficial heat application on treatment of temporomandibular disorders were found in the literature. The moist heat was the most widely used technique. Many studies suggested the application of heat for at least 20 minutes once a day. Most authors recommended the application of heat in facial and cervical regions. The heat treatment resulted in significant relief of pain, reduced muscle tension, improved function of the mandible, and increased mouth opening.

The purpose of the study was to quantify tongue protrusion force and compare its characteristics between participants with severely weak tongues and those with normal lingual strength. The sample consisted of 11 participants with severe lingual strength deficits and 11 age- and sex-matched participants with normal lingual strength. Tongue force was evaluated quantitatively using the Forling instrument, and the average force, maximum force, average force application rate, and area under the graphic curve were analysed. These parameters were compared between the groups. In the participants with severely weak tongues, the average and the maximum forces in N (Newton) were 2.03 ± 1.17 and 3.56 ± 1.77, respectively. The average force application rate in N/s (Newton per second) was 1.25 and the area under the graphic curve in Ns (Newton times second) was 18.6. The values of the participants with normal lingual strength were, respectively, 13.27 ± 6.15 N, 18.91 ± 7.95 N, 10.46 N/s, and 108.08 Ns. All parameters analysed differed significantly between the groups. The data collected could aid speech-language pathologists in diagnosing problems related to tongue force.

Purpose: to verify the relationship between the aspects of tongue clinical evaluation. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted with 48 healthy adults, 13 men and 35 women (ages 20-44 years, M=24.8 years, SD=5.3years). The following aspects were checked: tongue force, alternate movements, snap, suctionand vibration of the tongue. The evaluator also checked ifthe floor of the mouth elevated during tasks of tongue elevation or sucking tongue on palateand the occurrence of lingual tremor. Results: the aspects with the most frequent alteration were sucking tongue on palate and tongue vibration.Tremor had a higher occurrence during tongue movements.We found statistically significant association between snap and vibration and between vibration and elevation of the floor of the mouth during elevation of the tongue. Tongue force was associated with snap, vibration and elevation of the floor of the mouth during tongue elevation.

RESUMOPor muitos anos, pesquisadores têm procurado métodos para quantificar a força da língua e muitos instrumentos foram construídos para este fim. O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar uma revisão crítica da literatura sobre instrumentos para quantificar a força de língua. Os 30 aparelhos encontrados foram agrupados em quatro diferentes categorias: bocal contendo sensores (n=9), sensores fixados nos dentes, palato ou em placas palatais (n=8), bulbos preenchidos com fluidos e conectados a sensores de pressão (n=7) e outras tecnologias (n=8). Esses instrumentos podem, potencialmente, auxiliar o fonoaudiólogo na avaliação miofuncional orofacial, fazendo com que o diagnóstico de força da língua seja mais preciso. Alguns aparelhos apresentam desvantagens, tais como não serem sensíveis a pequenas mudanças de força, dificuldades na reprodutibilidade do posicionamento e outros pontos específicos. A grande variação de valores de força/pressão máxima e média encontrados relaciona-se à grande diversidade dos métodos, que empregam diferentes tecnologias. DESCRITORES: INTRODUÇÃODurante muitos anos, pesquisadores têm procurado métodos para quantificar a força ou pressão exercida pela língua. Uma força adequada é essencial para que a língua possa desempenhar corretamente as funções de mastigação, deglutição, sucção, respiração e articulação da fala, além de manter os dentes em posição adequada, já que a força exercida pela língua nos dentes se equilibra com as forças exercidas por lábios e bochechas 1 .A força de língua pode ser avaliada por métodos qualitativos ou quantitativos. A avaliação qualitativa é mais utilizada na prática clínica dos fonoaudiólogos. Este tipo de avaliação depende da experiência do profissional e apresenta controvérsias. Neste procedimento, o tônus/tensão da língua é geralmente testado solicitando-se que o paciente protrua a língua contra o dedo enluvado do avaliador, ou contra uma espátula, enquanto o fonoaudiólogo mantém uma resistência 2 . Já a avaliação quantitativa é realizada utilizando instrumentos que mostram o valor de força exercido pelo sujeito, o que permite que o diagnóstico de força da língua seja mais preciso.

The association between elevation of the floor of the mouth during sucking tongue on palate and quantitative evaluation can provide insight into the higher participation of the suprahyoid muscles in some participants in both tasks.

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