PURPOSE: To verify the degree of variability of orofacial measures, among speech pathologists who are specialists in orofacial myology. METHODS: A prospective study was carried out, where 30 speech pathologists who are specialists in orofacial myology measured, in two different moments, with the use of a digital sliding caliper, ten orofacial measures of a standard subject. Within- and between-examiner data were compared using measures of central trend and dispersion, and hypothesis testing, with the level of significance of 5%. RESULTS: Nine out of the ten parameters investigated were considered as homogeneous in both within- and between-observers analyses. The maximum mouth opening with the tongue in the papilla presented high coefficients of variation, indicating heterogeneous data, although between-observers values were considered similar. In the within-examiner analysis for this parameter, a significant difference was evidenced (p=0.0384). In the data analysis, it was also observed differences next to the cut point established in the study, in the within-observer mensuration of the midfacial height (p= 0.0711) and the maximum mouth opening (p= 0.0677). Among the ten analyzed variables, it was not observed decrease in the coefficient of variation from the first to the second mensuration only for the parameters midfacial height and superior lip. CONCLUSION: It was not observed variability in the orofacial mensuration carried out in this study, except for the parameter maximum mouth opening with the tongue in the incisor papilla, indicating that data produced by different professionals can be considered partially trustworthy.
Anthropometry; Face; Stomatognathic system; Myofunctional therapy
