2023 Volume 27 Issue 1 Pages 25-33
Objective: Oral myofunctional therapy (MFT) includes “popping exercises,” in which the patient raises the tongue and presses the peripheral areas of its dorsum closely against the palate while opening the mouth to produce a “pop” sound. However, the efficacy of popping exercises in increasing tongue pressure and improving related oral function has not been demonstrated. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of popping training and tongue-pressing training in improving oral function, such as increasing tongue pressure, in healthy adults volunteers.
Methods: Twenty-four healthy adult volunteers were randomly divided into two groups, one of which practiced popping exercises and the other an exercise involving pressing the tongue against the palate. They engaged in these exercises 30 times per day, five times a week for four weeks. The oral wetness, tongue pressure, masticatory ability, and oral diadochokinesis (ODK) using /pa/, /ta/, and /ka/ were evaluated before and after the exercises.
Results: In both groups, there were significant differences in tongue pressure, masticatory ability, and ODK using /pa/, /ta/, and /ka/ after the exercises compared with the baseline (p＜0.05). A comparison of the magnitudes of these differences after the exercises compared with the baseline found no significant differences between the two groups.
Conclusion: The present results suggest that popping exercises as a form of MFT not only increase tongue pressure, but also improve masticatory ability and ODK to the same degree as exercises involving pressing the tongue against the palate.
