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Dysphagia is a common poststroke symptom with negative effects on recovery and rehabilitation. However, the orofacial regulation therapy, developed by Castillo Morales, comprising body regulation and orofacial regulation in combination with a palatal plate application has shown promising results in stroke patients. This therapy is based not only on muscle exercises but also on an improvement of the entire sensory-motor reflex arc involved in normal deglutition, and on the knowledge that the function of face and oropharynx at deglutition is closely interrelated with the entire body posture as well as with appropriate breathing. The treatment concept is relatively unknown to caregivers, partly due to lack of scientific evaluation of treatment results. The present investigation aimed to assess the effect of motor and sensory stimulation in stroke patients with dysphagia persisting for more than six months. Seven patients were evaluated with respect to orofacial and pharyngeal motility and sensory function before and two weeks after a five-week treatment period. The evaluation comprised a swallowing capacity test, a meal observation test, clinical examination of oral motor and sensory function, a velopharyngeal closure test, and videofluoroscopy. In addition, the symptoms were scored by the patients. An overall single-blind estimation showed objective and self-assessed swallowing improvement in all seven patients. Kappa coefficients are calculated on all reliability data, both inter- and intrarater reliabilities. Sensory and motor stimulation seems to be a promising therapy in stroke patients with long-lasting and persistent oropharyngeal dysphagia.

A prefabricated oral screen has shown promising results as a muscle self-training device to improve the lip function of stroke patients affected by oropharyngeal dysphagia. However, a technique for the measurement of lip muscle force, whether in healthy individuals or in stroke patients, is lacking. The present study was designed to (1) test the intra- and interreliability of lip force measurements by means of a newly devised Lip Force Meter, LF100, (2) determine a normal lower limit for lip force in newtons (N), and (3) ascertain the instrument's sensitivity and specificity. LF100 is a modified strain gauge for recording the ability of lips to withstand pressure from a predentally placed oral screen. Forty-two healthy controls and 22 stroke patients agreed to participate in the trial. The controls and patients were examined three times with the LF100, with 2-min rest intervals, twice by investigator MH and once by investigator MO. Intrainvestigator reliability with the LF100 proved excellent in both controls and patients: ICC was 0.83 and 0.90, respectively. Interinvestigator reliability was good or excellent in both groups: ICC was 0.71 and 0.91. There was a significant difference in lip force between controls and stroke patients (mean = 24.7 +/- 6.3 N and 9.5 +/- 5.5 N, p < ; 0.001). The sensitivity of LF100 was 91% and the specificity 95%. The cutoff level for normal lip force was 15 N. The LF100 showed itself to be a suitable and reliable instrument for measuring lip force.

Conclusion. Training with an oral screen can improve lip force (LF) and swallowing capacity (SC) in stroke patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia, irrespective of the duration of pretreatment of dysphagia, and irrespective of the presence or absence of central facial paresis. It is more plausible that treatment results are attributable to sensory motor stimulation and the plasticity of the central nervous system than to the training of the lip muscles per se. Objectives. A close relationship has been demonstrated between LF and SC in stroke patients whether or not they are affected by facial paresis. It is not known how training of lip function can improve swallowing capacity. The present study was therefore designed to ascertain: (i) if training with an oral screen can improve the LF and SC of stroke patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia, to establish (ii) if improvement in LF and SC is connected with the presence or absence of central facial palsy, (iii) on the interval between stroke onset and initiation of treatment, (iv) on age, or (v) on sex. Subjects and methods. This was a retrospective study of 30 stroke patients, 49-88 years old, who were investigated with a Lip Force Meter, LF100 (LF100) and a swallowing capacity test (SCT) before and after a period of self-training lasting at least 5-8 weeks, using an oral screen. Initial central facial paresis was present in 24 patients. Results. The median LF was 7 Newtons (N) (range 0-27) before treatment and 18.5 N (range 7-44) after treatment (p < , 0.001). The median SC was 0 ml/s (range 0-9.1) before treatment and 12.1 ml/s (range 0-36.7) at follow-up (p < , 0.001). There was no significant difference in swallowing improvement between patients with versus those without facial paresis. The interval between stroke attack and start of treatment, ranging from a few days up to 10 years, had no significant influence on the treatment results, nor did age or sex. The facial paresis was improved or at least ameliorated in all patients after the lip training period.