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Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy

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Obstructive Sleep Apnea

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Abstract

Orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) uses a combination of physical therapy exercises to improve the bite, breathing, and facial posture of those with orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMDs). OMDs are patterns involving oral and orofacial musculature that interfere with normal growth, development, or function of orofacial structures, or call attention to themselves. The therapy targets the soft tissues of the face, neck, and mouth to establish optimal tongue position and oral rest posture. OMDs can affect people of all ages, and treatment is customized based on age and symptoms. OMT has been used as a clinical solution for OMD for several decades worldwide, and its success has been documented. Still, there is a paucity of solid scientific evidence due to a lack of financial support. OMT to treat sleep-disordered breathing can be a reasonable option as a complementary therapy used with other methods that are backed by more solid evidence. Only in those cases where patients do not adhere to other therapies should OMT be prescribed uniquely.

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Abbreviations

AHI:

Apnea–hypopnea index

CP:

Control pause

DISE:

Drug-induced sleep endoscopy

ENT:

Ear, nose, throat specialist

ESS:

Epworth sleepiness scale

g/cm2:

Grams per square centimeter

IOPI:

Iowa oral performance instrument

kps:

Kilopascals

OMD:

Orofacial muscle disorder

OMT:

Orofacial myofunctional therapy

OSA:

Obstructive sleep apnea

Pcrit:

Upper airway collapsibility

RCT:

Randomized controlled trial

SDB:

Sleep-disordered breathing

TDS:

Tongue digital spoon.

UA:

Upper airway

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Otolaryngology Department, Hospital Quironsalud Marbella, Málaga, Spain

    Carlos O’Connor-Reina & Laura Rodriguez-Alcala

  2. Otolaryngology Department, Hospital Italiano Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Francisca Borrmann

Authors
  1. Carlos O’Connor-Reina
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  2. Francisca Borrmann
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  3. Laura Rodriguez-Alcala
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carlos O’Connor-Reina .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain

    Peter M. Baptista

  2. Hospital Constitución, ISSSTE, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico

    Rodolfo Lugo Saldaña

  3. Sede Quinta de Mutis, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia

    Steve Amado

6.1 Electronic Supplementary Material

Example of atypical swallowing (MP4 2300 kb)

Tongue tie surgery (MP4 112914 kb)

Conventional soropharyngeal exercises (MP4 8600 kb)

APP-based oropharyngeal exercises (MP4 9115 kb)

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O’Connor-Reina, C., Borrmann, F., Rodriguez-Alcala, L. (2023). Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy. In: Baptista, P.M., Lugo Saldaña, R., Amado, S. (eds) Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35225-6_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35225-6_6

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