Lip halter: an aid in drool control

An intraoral prosthesis to control drooling in a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Many alternatives exist for treating chronic drooling. The treatment of a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis who complained of chronic drooling and lack of retention of fluids while drinking is presented. In this case, an alternative type of intraoral prosthesis, not previously reported in the dental literature, was used to treat chronic drooling. A lip plumper prosthesis was fabricated to approximate the partially incompetent lips and create an oral seal. The results of the prosthesis therapy for this patient are encouraging both physically and psychologically.

Biofeedback techniques and behaviour modification in the conservative remediation of drooling by children with cerebral palsy

In an attempt to decrease the rates of drooling of 12 children with cerebral palsy, the authors investigated the effectiveness of EMG auditory feedback training of the orbicularis oris, of making the act of swallowing a conscious one, and of providing an auditory signal to cue swallowing by means of an Accularm interval timer. After biofeedback training there was a significant decrease in drooling rates and a small increase in swallowing rates. After the Accularm was used the children maintained the decreased drooling rates and there was a further small improvement in swallowing rates. One month after treatment stopped there was a non-significant regression in the rates of both drooling and swallowing. The marked decrease in drooling after biofeedback training must be attributed to more effective swallowing as a result of improved oral motor control, rather than to increased rates of swallowing.