The field of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy is not new.  The International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM) is over 50 years old, and throughout the years, they have been dedicated to expanding the awareness of Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders in both the general public and other allied health professionals.  Tongue thrust therapy and thumb-sucking elimination programs have long been a part of the Myofunctional Therapist’s caseload.  In recent decades, the resurgence of breastfeeding, and the research regarding its benefits, has led more families to seek help when latching to nurse was difficult.  This brought to light issues with tongue and lip restriction and led to increased interest in diagnosis and treatment of tethered oral tissues.  Most medical professionals are well acquainted with anterior tongue ties, but it was not until 2004, that posterior tongue tie was described in the literature. 

Training for doctors, dentists, and speech-language pathologists do not necessarily include information on diagnosis and treatment of tongue ties, especially posterior or submucosal ties, and the idea that untreated tongue tie can cause long-lasting issues is frequently dismissed.  This can lead to differing diagnoses depending on whether a given professional has sought out recent training and research to inform themselves on appropriate diagnostic procedures.

A search through PubMed will reveal more than 500 articles on tongue ties that have been published in peer-reviewed journals. There you will also find many articles on related issues such as persistent speech errors, mouth breathing, thumb sucking, malocclusions, sleep-disordered breathing, posture, allergies and asthma, TMJ issues, neck and shoulder pain and sleep apnea.

Orofacial Myofunctional disorders impact people over the lifespan.  And Orofacial Myofunctional therapy has been proven to help. Use the links below to access selected research in the field of Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders.