J Korean Dysphagia Soc.  2023 Jul;13(2):124-132. 10.34160/jkds.23.003.

Oral Motor Facilitation Technique (OMFT) Affects the Drooling Control Ability of Children with Cerebral Palsy

• Min Kc
• Seo Sm
• Woo Hs

• KMID: 2545124
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.34160/jkds.23.003

Abstract

Objective
This study was undertaken to identify the effect of Oral Motor Facilitation Technique (OMFT) on the drooling control ability of children afflicted with Cerebral Palsy (CP).
Methods
Totally, 21 CP children with drooling problems participated in the study. OMFT was provided for 16 weeks (30 minutes, 1 session a week, 16 sessions). The drooling control ability was assessed by determining the severity and frequency using the Drooling Severity and Frequency Scale (DSFS) before, at 8 weeks, and 16 weeks after OMFT administration. The effectiveness of OMFT was analyzed at the time intervals using the Friedman test. Post hoc analyses were conducted by the Wilcoxon signed rank test and Kruskal Wallis test.
Results
Drooling control ability showed significant improvement after 16 weeks of OMFT. Although the severity of drooling significantly increased after 8 weeks, the frequency was unchanged. Our results indicate that OMFT is a useful oral motor treatment protocol to manage the drooling control ability of children with CP. We recommend at least 8 weeks of OMFT administration.
Conclusion
Drooling is an important problem in dysphagia. Clinicians need to show more importance in controlling drooling, and a comprehensive oral motor treatment like OMFT should be considered for children afflicted with CP.

Keyword

Cerebral palsy; Drooling therapy; Dysphagia therapy; Oral motor facilitation technique; Sialorrhea