Review of management of drooling problems in neurologically impaired children: a review of methods and results over 6 years at Chailey Heritage Clinical Services.
Drooling can be a difficult problem for a child to endure, both physically and socially, especially if they are also having to cope with physical disabilities. Chailey Heritage Clinical Services and associated School look after a large number of severely physically disabled children and adolescents. This paper reviews the management strategy of the multidisciplinary oral-motor clinic at Chailey Heritage Clinical Services, and reviews the results of children treated between 1990 and 1996. The management ranges from oral-motor skills training through palatal training appliances to surgery. Seventy-eight children, ranging from 3 to 17 years, were treated and there were complete records for 73. Eighteen per cent responded to oral skills training alone. Thirty per cent of children had good results with a palatal training appliance and did not need any further intervention. Forty-seven per cent of patients underwent some form of surgery to control their drooling. Only 8% of children were treated with medication.
Lloyd Faulconbridge
R V
RV
Department of ENT Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK.
Tranter
R M
RM
Moffat
V
V
Green
E
E
D000293:Adolescent; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D006801:Humans; D010160:Palate, Soft / Q000503:physiopathology; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011187:Posture; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D012798:Sialorrhea / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D013663:Teaching