Uso das placas palatinas de memória e terapia miofuncional em crianças com síndrome de Down: uma série de casos

Abstract

The generalized muscle hypotonicity and a flaccid and protruding tongue are the main orofacial manifestations of Down syndrome. The memory palate plate associated with orofacial myofunctional therapy stimulate movements and the perception of the motor areas of the face of children with muscle hypotonia, precluding the development of secondary conditions, such as mouth breathing and malocclusions as well as swallowing, sucking, and phonation disorders. In the literature, there are few recent studies addressing this therapy, making scientific research on this topic necessary, aiming to develop consolidated protocols. The objective of the present study was twofold: to describe three clinical cases of children with Down syndrome, who attended a multidisciplinary project at the Faculty of Dentistry of the Federal University of Minas Gerais and to present the results obtained after orofacial myofunctional therapy associated with the wearing of memory palate plate. All cases showed positive results, with an improvement in the posture of the tongue. A more retracted position of the tongue into the oral cavity and improvement of lip sealing were also observed. Even though treatment results were positive, generalization of the outcomes is unfeasible, as only three cases were evaluated. In addition, the assessments were based on the assessor`s perceptions without the deployment of more objective methods. Another limitation was the Covid19 pandemic, which precluded the systematic follow-up of the patients and the continued wearing of the plate on the part of the children. More longitudinal studies with larger samples, standardized methods, and a well-defined evaluation of objectives to verify the long-term benefits of the therapy are encouraged