OMD-Assesment Prevention and Treatment

Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs) are disorders pertaining to the face and mouth and may affect, directly and indirectly, chewing1, swallowing2, 3, speech4, 5, 6, occlusion7, 8, 9, 10, temporomandibular joint movement11, 12, oral hygiene13, 14, stability of orthodontic treatment15, 16, 8, 17, facial esthetics18, 9, and facial skeletal growth19, 20. Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders may have an impact on treatment by orthodontists, dentists, dental hygienists, speech-language pathologists and other professionals working in the same anatomical and physiological area. Most OMDs can be easily assessed by dentists and orthodontists and, in many cases, they can be prevented, especially in young children with deciduous dentition still in place, thus promoting a more harmonious growth of the orofacial complex. When OMDs are identified in older children, teenagers and adults, a multidisciplinary approach of their treatment would ensure the best care results, by involving the orthodontist, the orofacial myologist, the dental hygienist and other professionals such as ear-nose-throat specialists, allergists and osteopathic physicians to name a few. With the unprecedented expansion of medical knowledge and the need to become highly specialized, medical and health professionals are often unaware of the contributions offered by another disciplines in the treatment of patients with multiple disorders. For instance, a speech pathologist might find it difficult to address the correction of certain speech sounds like /s, z/ or /ch, j, sh/ when the child has no habitual nasal breathing, no lip competence, has an excessive anterior overjet or wears a bulky oral appliance. Conversely, an orthodontist might be frustrated by an unstable occlusion, stubborn anterior open bites or unexpected treatment relapses. The natural bridge is Orofacial Myology or the study of orofacial myofunctional disorders and its application, orofacial myofunctional therapy, which has been around in various forms for many decades. What are OMDs? The most common are: