Swati
Dr. D Y Patil College of Physiotherapy, India
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Physiother Rehabil
Introduction: Drooling is considered as the unwanted dribbling of saliva from the mouth, which is considered
common in children upto 15-18 months of age and considered abnormal if it continues after that with different
severity and frequency and mostly encountered in children with neurological imapirement. Along with the
articulation dysfunction, drooling impacts socialization, interpersonal relationships and integration into society for
these patients. Regardless, of the aetiology and severity of drooling, it is estimated that 10-37.5% of children with
cerebral palsy have drooling problem significant enough to interfere with the daily life. And most of the patients with
drooling are considered to have problems affecting the head and neck positioning, typically adopting a head down
positon, open mouthed attitude, everted lower lip all leading to drooling.
Objective: To validate the effectiveness of kinesiotaping for management of drooling by enhancing the lip closure; To
find out the time efficient protocol between kinesio tape and oral motor therapy in reducing the severity and frequency
of drooling and reduce the social stigma caused by drooling among children with neurological imapirement.
Method: The study is an experimental study design dividing the sample population of 30 children into two groups
with convenient sampling (random allocation). Group A includes interventional technique receiving oral motor
therapy, whereas Group B receives both the interventions including oral motor therapy and kinesiotaping as their
intervention. The drooling score is compared at the end of every week for four weeks with frequency and severity of
drooling by Thomas-Stonell Drooling Scale, Drooling Impact Scale and the lip closure measurement, measured by
vernier caliper (accuracy of calliper 0.05mm).
Results: As the study is being carried out and will be completed upto December 2018, the results are yet to be
commented on.
Swati has completed her Bachelors of Physiotherpay at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, India in 2017. Currently, she is pursuing her Postgraduation degree in the field of Pediatric Physiotherapy at Dr. D Y Patil College of Physiotherapy, Pimpri, Pune, Maharasthra, India.
E-mail: swtmrwh1@gmail.com