Search for: [Abstract = "Down Syndrome is a genetic anomaly, dependent on trisomy of 21 st. chromosome. Because of general muscle hypotonia, patients with Down syndrome have permanently opened mouth and protruded tongue. Movements of the lips and tongue during swallowing and speaking are abnormal. It is very important to start stimulation of the tongue and facial muscles as soon as possible in the infant age. The aim of orofacial therapy is to increase the facial muscles tonus, leading to normal or almost normal tongue position during physiological functions such as swalling, sucking, speaking and in tongue resting position. The palatal plate is an acrylic removable apliance, made individually for each patient. The plate has a specially designed stimulator called “button”. It is a concave cyllinder placed on the oral surface of the plate. This stimulator cause desired \(wanted\) facial muscles reactions \- the tongue is moving inside the mouth, behind the tooth arches and the lips are closed. The aim of the study is to judge if the muscle tonus and tongue position improves during the orofacial therapy. A special apliance was constructed to measure the tongue pressure on the tooth arches in its frontal part during swallowing process. Due to these measurements it is possible to judge if using the orofacial therapy – \(both palatal plate and manual stimulation\) \- improves the tongue position and decrease its pressure on the tooth arches during swallowing. The treated group consisting of 78th children \(aged from 1 month to 13 years\) was observed during 3\-year treatment period. The main factor which was assessed \- the tongue and lip position \- improved during treatment time in more than 70% of children. The tongue pressure on the dental arches in this group of patients was also significally better. This fact prooves that orofacial treatment started at very early age in children with Down syndrome has to be mandatory."]

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