PURPOSE:
to verify the effectiveness of the use of elastic bandage associated with speech therapy to control sialorrhea.
METHODS:
a longitudinal study was conducted with eleven children with a condition of chronic hypersalivation and neurological disorders. The perception of the speech therapists and of the responsible as of the graveness and the number of mouth towels utilized per day. Sialometry was also applied. Each participant received an application of the Kinesio Tape elastic bandage in the supra-hiodea musculature for thirty days. The children were evaluated without the bandage (T0), immediately after removal of the bandage (T1) and three months after (T2). The speech therapy treatment was realized by the same professional in two weekly sessions. The data was analyzed statistically.
RESULTS:
it was verified in the questionnaire there was a reduction of complaints of saliva choking in T1 (p=0.024). The average daily use of towels / cloths was of four (10.2%) in T0, two (5.1%) in T1 and four (10.2%) at T2. According to sialometry, there was a reduction of drooling from T0 to T1 (p=0.018) and no difference between T0 and T2 (p=0.215) and a raise from T1 to T2 (p=0.05). According to the speech therapist perception there was a reduction in drooling after thirty days after the use of the bandage, however no improvement was observed when comparing the results of thirty days without usage and three months without the bandage.
CONCLUSION:
the taping has shown to be effective in controlling sialorrhea during its use period, not being observed the permanence of the results after interruption of its application.
Bandages; Sialorrhea; Neurology; Child
