Oral myology (also known as "orofacial myology") is the field of study that involves the evaluation and treatment (known as "orofacial myofunctional therapy") of the oral and facial musculature, including the muscles of the

tongue The tongue is a Muscle, muscular organ (anatomy), organ in the mouth of a typical tetrapod. It manipulates food for chewing and swallowing as part of the digestive system, digestive process, and is the primary organ of taste. The tongue's upper s ...

lip The lips are a horizontal pair of soft appendages attached to the jaws and are the most visible part of the mouth of many animals, including humans. Mammal lips are soft, movable and serve to facilitate the ingestion of food (e.g. sucklin ...

cheek The cheeks () constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the nose and the left or right ear. ''Buccal'' means relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by the buccal nerve. The area between the inside of th ...

s, and jaw.

Use

Orofacial myofunctional therapy treatment is most commonly used to retrain oral rest posture, swallowing patterns in the oral phase, and

speech Speech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon. There are many different intentional speech acts, suc ...

Tongue thrust and thumb sucking

A major focus of the field of oral myology and treatment of orofacial myofunctional disorders include tongue posture and establishing equilibrium between the tongue, lips and the cheek muscles. Tongue exercise proved to be successful in treating

tongue thrust Tongue thrust, also called reverse swallow or immature swallow, is a pseudo-pathological name for an adaptive lip seal mechanism, whereby normal nasal breathing or normal swallowing can occur. Tongue thrust can also be seen as an oral myofunctiona ...

. Tongue exercise alone was reported to be successful in cessation of

thumb sucking Thumb sucking is a behavior found in humans, chimpanzees, captive ring-tailed lemurs, and other primates.Benjamin, Lorna S.: "The Beginning of Thumbsucking." ''Child Development'', Vol. 38, No. 4 (Dec., 1967), pp. 1065–1078. It usually invol ...

and treatment of anterior

open bite malocclusion Open bite is a type of orthodontic malocclusion which has been estimated to occur in 0.6% of the people in the United States. This type of malocclusion has no vertical overlap or contact between the anterior incisors.Shapiro PA. Stability of open ...

. When the tongue rests against the palate it begins to expand the maxilla by applying a slow and consistent force to the lingual (tongue side) surfaces of the teeth. This may aid in the treatment of crooked teeth and under-developed face.

Sleep apnea and snoring

Oral myology plays also an important role in the management of patients with sleep breathing disorders and

snoring Snoring is an abnormal breath sound caused by partially obstructed, turbulent airflow and vibration of tissues in the upper respiratory tract (e.g., uvula, soft palate, base of tongue) which occurs during sleep. It usually happens during in ...

where oropharyngeal exercises were found to reduce the severity and primary symptoms of obstructive

sleep apnea Sleep apnea (sleep apnoea or sleep apnœa in British English) is a sleep-related breathing disorder in which repetitive Apnea, pauses in breathing, periods of shallow breathing, or collapse of the upper airway during sleep results in poor vent ...

. Poor positioning of the tongue affects breathing and allows a series of events to occur that can affect the orofacial complex. Patients with sleep apnea and other breathing difficulties usually have decreased tone and mobility in the cheek, tongue, lip, and soft

palate The palate () is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly sep ...

, and sensory alterations due to a tendency to engage in

mouth breathing Mouth breathing, medically known as chronic oral ventilation, is long-term breathing through the mouth. It often is caused by an obstruction to breathing through the nose, the innate breathing organ in the human body. However, by the early 20 ...

rather than nasal breathing. In treatment of sleep apnea, oral myology therapy involves a series of exercises designed to improve tongue position and tongue function for a better control of the extrinsic tongue muscles and place the tongue in a ‘‘proper posture during function and at rest.’’

Dysphagia

Disruption of normal swallowing, referred to as

dysphagia Dysphagia is difficulty in swallowing. Although classified under " symptoms and signs" in ICD-10, in some contexts it is classified as a condition in its own right. It may be a sensation that suggests difficulty in the passage of solids or l ...

, has a variety of reasons, among which is tongue muscles weakness and fatigue. The tongue is a critical organ in swallowing, providing the driving forces that transport food and liquid through the mouth and pharynx. Fatigue in the tongue muscles may contribute to incomplete food clearance (residue), prolonged time to complete a meal and reduced intake. Tongue exercise to increase the muscle tone is therefore an important part of the oral myology therapy of dysphagia.

Speech disorders

Dentofacial and functional malocclusions can also affect normal speech. Non-physiologic function of the tongue has been considered an important aetiological factor of malocclusions. The tongue is an important organ contributing to deglutition, speech, growth and development of the jaws, and alignment of the teeth in occlusion. The effect of the tongue on growth of the jaws and development of the occlusion is a result of its pressure on the teeth and other areas during rest and function. The number of tongue movements and the contact point of the tongue with the palate are different in the pronunciation of consonants and words. These can be affected by tongue malfunction such as tongue thrust. Accordingly, treatment of tongue thrust is essential for treatment of speech disorders, and oral myology therapy aiming at tongue muscles training is an important part of speech therapy.

Intra-oral adhesive pads in oral myology

The use of intra-oral adhesive pads as part of oral myology therapy is a new technique to induce and assist in tongue exercise. One study suggests the use of adhesive pads was efficient in treatment of anterior

and thumb sucking in children.

Use

Tongue thrust and thumb sucking

Sleep apnea and snoring

Dysphagia

Speech disorders

Intra-oral adhesive pads in oral myology

See also

References

Further reading