PURPOSE: To verify the practice of the speech-language pathologist who acts in orofacial myology in Belo Horizonte - MG (Brazil) concerning facial muscular training, and to compare orofacial myology specialists and nonspecialists' conducts. METHODS: Sectional study, with application of a questionnaire to 60 speech-language pathologists (SLP) from Belo Horizonte - MG (Brazil) who attend orofacial myology patients: 30 graduate without specialization and 30 specialized in orofacial myology. The questionnaire presented a case report and 12 questions regarding conducts in myotherapy. Data analysis used Chi-square and Fisher's Exact Test, and considered a significance level of 5%. RESULTS: In the researched sample, 88.3% of the SLP mentioned isometric exercises, 63.3% requested a training frequency of three times a day and 81.7% seven days a week. The variation of time of muscular contraction was mentioned by 61.7%, and 40% recommend time increase. They indicated the need to vary the number of series of exercises along the therapeutic process in 50% of the interviews, and 26.7% of these mentioned decrease of this number. Regarding frequency, 43.3% considered necessary to vary the frequency of exercises along the therapeutic process: 20% reducing the number of repetitions of the exercise per day and 23.3% reducing the number of days a week. More than half of the professionals (56.7%) informed that the average time of intervention for orofacial myology varied from four to six months. CONCLUSION: The majority of the SLP interviewed for this study employ isometric exercises, three times a day, seven days a week, for an average period of four to six months of therapy. There was no significant difference between the conduct of specialized and nonspecialized speech-language pathologists.
Muscle contraction; Muscle strength; Myofunctional therapy; Professional practice; Questionnaires
