Search Results (2)

Purpose: The Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI) is commonly used to measure tongue strength and endurance. The tongue, however, is reported to periodically move from its intended placement on the IOPI bulb during measurement. This study sought to determine one’s perception of tongue-to-bulb slippage with and without two anti-slip patches (Patch1 – flexible fabric, Patch2 – hypoallergenic micropore fabric) and whether measures of tongue strength and endurance differed across the three IOPI bulb conditions. Method: 40 healthy adults were randomly assigned to perform tongue strength and endurance procedures by elevating either the anterior (n = 22) or posterior (n = 18) portions of the oral tongue. Three IOPI bulb conditions (bulb alone, bulb+Patch1, bulb+Patch2) were used for tongue strength (5 trials per condition) and endurance (3 trials per condition) assessments. A survey to assess comfort level, stability, and preference followed. Results: The bulb+Patch1 was perceived to maintain placement and significantly reduce tongue-to-bulb slippage, F (2,76) = 43.557, p < 0.0001; F (2,76) = 45.451, p < 0.0001, compared to bulb alone and bulb+Patch2, respectively. Tongue strength [anterior: F (2, 42) = 1.467, p = 0.242; posterior: F (1.41, 24.004) = 0.374, p = 0.619] and endurance [anterior: F (2, 42) = 3.738, p = 0.032; posterior: F (2, 34) = 1.399, p = 0.261] did not differ across conditions. Conclusion: The findings suggest that healthy adults preferred using the bulb+Patch1 rather than a bare bulb or the bulb+Patch2 due to perceived stability of tongue-to-bulb contact. Given that lingual assessments of maximal performance did not differ across the IOPI bulb conditions, the use of a flexible fabric patch when adhered to the bulb may be helpful for positional stability without impacting testing validity. Full article

Purpose: Instrumental assessments of tongue strength have provided clinicians with the ability to obtain quantitative measures to document lingual weakness. A technical challenge with a common instrument is that the surface of the of the bulb-shaped sensor is smooth and can be slippery when contacted by the tongue. This study evaluated whether adding a textured layer to the bulb leads to enhanced strength measures in neurologically normal adults. Methods: Maximum-effort maneuvers for anterior and posterior tongue elevation, right and left tongue lateralization, and tongue protrusion were available from 62 healthy adults using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI). The IOPI tongue bulb was either bare or covered with a single layer of gauze. The maximum pressure (P_max) exerted on the bulb from three trials was used as the outcome variable for each task. Results: In addition to significant main effects for both bulb-cover and task, there was a significant interaction between the use of gauze and the direction of the tongue-strength maneuver. P_max was significantly greater when a gauze-covered bulb was used for tongue lateralization and protrusion but not for tongue elevation maneuvers. Conclusion: Using a singlelayer of gauze on the smooth tongue-bulb helped reduce slippage of the tongue and resulted in greater P_max values when evaluating tongue strength in the lateral and protrusive directions, but not for tongue elevation. Efforts to develop a more permanent solution to texturizing the bulb’s surface are needed. Full article