Orofacial myofunctional therapy associated with the use of the stimulating palatal plate in children with trisomy 21: case studies

Abstract

Individuals with trisomy 21 may have muscle hypotonia of the speech articulation organs, an enlarged protruding tongue positioned on the floor of the mouth, and a lack of lip closure. The stimulating palatal plate is an intraoral appliance that, associated with myofunctional therapy, aims to improve these children’s habitual lip and tongue posture. This study aimed to present the cases of four male children with trisomy 21, with a mean age of 6.7 and a standard deviation of 7.8 months, who used the stimulating palatal plate in association with myofunctional therapy. The children used the plate for 6 months and did exercises based on the orofacial regulation therapy, and their parents received instructions on feeding them and removing deleterious oral habits. In the first session and at the end of the treatment, each child’s face was video-recorded for 5 minutes at rest, and two researchers analyzed independently their habitual tongue and lip posture. Participants who began the treatment earlier and had the most severe postural changes had greater tongue and lip posture improvement.