A simple method for evaluation of tongue position

Abstract

Neck extension because of contraction of cervical extensor muscles often brings about a lower-positioned tongue secondary to jaw opening in patients with congenital myopathy (CM). We hypothesized that neck extension in control subjects would reproduce the lower position of the tongue similar to that found in a CM patient. A simple method was formulated to evaluate the tongue position in terms of tongue pressure on the maxillary molar. A pair of pressure sensors was attached to the buccal and lingual surfaces of the upper molar for both the CM patient and four control subjects. Changes in the buccal and tongue pressures were recorded at the neck extension position for the CM patient and during both the natural head position and neck extension for the control subjects. There was a remarkable difference between buccal and tongue pressures in the neck extension position in the CM patient: tongue pressure was not detected at all, indicating there was no contact between tongue and upper molar. The buccal and tongue pressures were approximately equal in the natural head position in the control subjects. However, both buccal and tongue pressures were reduced during neck extension in the control subjects, with a greater decrease in the tongue pressure than the buccal pressure. These findings suggest that neck extension in a control subject reproduces the lower position of the tongue observed in CM patients. We propose that the pressure sensor enables evaluation of the tongue position, but further investigation is required.

Tongue strength of healthy young adults

“…The strength of the tongue has also been studied with respect to gender (8, 9, 21), age (4, 9, 15), sleep apnoea (9), neurological diseases (1, 4–6, 12, 16, 21), head and neck cancer (20) and therapeutic tongue exercise (6).…”

“…Several studies have reported tongue strength during isometric contraction (1,(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15), at rest (14,16) and during the functions of mastication (17), swallowing (3,4,15,(18)(19)(20) and speech (1,5,12).…”

Análise da pressão da língua em indivíduos adultos jovens brasileiros

“…It is portable and easy to use, is noninvasive, and presents fast, accurate, and reliable measurements (4)(5)(6) . After that, many studies proposed to measure the pressure made by the tongue on the oral cavity (7) during functions such as speech (8) , swallowing, (5) and chewing (9) ; at rest (10) ; and during the maximum isometric contraction for comparing with different portions of the tongue (anterior and dorsum) among young adults (11) . The pressure of the tongue has also been studied in relation to gender (11)(12)(13)(14) and age (5,(13)(14)(15) in individuals diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (16) , neurological conditions (17) , and disorders in the head and neck area (18) .…”

Treatment and retention of relapsed anterior open-bite with low tongue posture and tongue-tie: A 10-year follow-up

“…Soft tissue pressure, in particular the pressure that results from tongue position and function, has been reported to affect anterior open-bite, and could pose a potential risk for long-term stability of treatment results 5,6. Although previous studies have investigated the effects of tongue posture and function,28,29 clinical examination of the tongue is both limited and subjective, due to its muscular nature and surrounding anatomic structures.…”

“…A low tongue posture or tongue-thrusting habit can produce an anterior open-bite and mandibular prognathism. Moreover, abnormal tongue position and functioning are reported to cause relapses after treatment for anterior open-bite, and are potential risk factors for long-term stability 5,6…”