Effect of Physical Therapy Program on Drooling, Weight and Oral Motor Function After Posterior Tongue Tie Release in Spastic Cerebral Palsied Children

Elrewiny, Elsaied Fathalla Mansy; Zaky, Naglaa A; Rabie, Ahmed; Abd El Whaab, Heba H

doi:10.21608/ejptr.2025.379452.1030

Effect of Physical Therapy Program on Drooling, Weight and Oral Motor Function After Posterior Tongue Tie Release in Spastic Cerebral Palsied Children

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Physical Therapy for Pediatrics, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Egypt.

² Department of Neurosurgery , Faculty of Medicine , Alexandria University, Egypt.

10.21608/ejptr.2025.379452.1030

Abstract

Background: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have difficulties with feeding and social affection because of drooling, problems with weight, in addition to oral motor function difficulties. An alternative for managing drooling and issues with oral motor function is fenotomy as well as oral motor exercise.
Purpose: To compare between the impact of frenotomy as well as oral motor exercises after frenotomy for improving drooling, weight problems and oral motor functions in children with spastic CP.
Materials and Methods: The 32 boys and girls with spastic CP who participated in study were randomly assigned to one of two groups: group A (n=16) and group B (n=16). Their ages varied from 4 to 8 years old. Group A underwent frenotomy, while group B underwent frenotomy followed by oral motor exercises; group B received the treatment 3 sessions per week for 3 consecutive months. Assessment of drooling conducted by saxon test, assessment of weight conducted by bodecoder, assessment of oral motor functions conducted by oral motor assessment scale. The collected data was analyzed and compared at the base line and the end of intervention.
Results: Both Group A as well as Group B children improved significantly when comparing their pre- and post-treatment mean values of all variables. The post treatment findings revealed that frenotomy followed by oral motor exercises were more effective than frenotomy alone in reducing drooling and increasing weight.
Conclusion: Oral motor exercises found more effective after frenotomy than frenotomy alone in management of drooling, weight and oral motor function problems.

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