title: Tongue strength of healthy young adults.
abstract: The measurement of tongue strength contributes to the study of oro-facial physiology. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of gender on tongue strength in young adults and to determine the differences in this strength between tongue regions. This study was conducted on 50 healthy volunteers (17 men and 33 women) with a mean age of 23 years, with no oro-facial myofunctional alterations. The strength of the anterior portion and of the dorsum of the tongue was analysed with a calibrated electronic dynamometer. The subjects were asked to apply maximum force. Men showed higher tongue strength values than women both in the anterior portion and in the dorsum of the tongue (P<0·05), and the strength of the anterior portion of the tongue was lower than that of the dorsum in both genders (P<0·05). We conclude that gender and region influenced tongue strength.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. luvoi@fmrp.usp.br
authors.forename: L V V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Trawitzki
authors.forename: C G P
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Borges
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Giglio
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D053581:Muscle Strength Dynamometer; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014059:Tongue / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult