Criterion-based assessment of masticatory muscle hypertonia severity in children with cerebral palsy

Abstract

Relevance. In children, muscle hypertonia, including sustained stiffness of the chewing muscles, accompanies the spastic form of cerebral palsy. Considering hypertonia severity is necessary to develop treatment tactics and schemes. This paper proposes a reasonable criterion-based assessment of the above pathology severity based on clinical and functional examination data. Material and methods. To develop grading of muscle hypertonia severity, we examined 30 children with spastic cerebral palsy and 30 healthy children of the same age to obtain normalized parameters. Based on the questionnaire data, the study analyzed the functions of chewing, swallowing, and speech formation, assessed the condition of the hard dental tissues by clinical examination, and obtained active and passive mouth-opening data. Electromyography calculated the average amplitude of the right and left temporal and masticatory muscles and the total biopotential. Results . Clinical and functional evaluation data showed a direct correlation. The more complex the situation in the oral cavity was, the higher the amplitude of the chewing muscles was. Conclusion . The correlation allowed the development of the criterion-based assessment of moderate and significant masticatory muscle hypertonia severity, which management of this patient type should consider.