Clinical Trial: Physiotherapy on the Airway of Bruxist Children

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: AWARNESS THROUGH MOVEMENT PHYSIOTERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUE INCREASED THE AIRWAY DIMENSIONS OF BRUXIST CHILDREN: A SINGLE BLIND RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL.

Brief Summary:

Objective: to evaluate the effects of physiotherapy on the anteroposterior airway size in a group of bruxist children

Question: Is a physiotherapeutic technique aiming at changing the head posture, effective to increase the anteroposterior dimensions of the upper airway in bruxist children?

Hypothesis: The bruxist children treated with physiotherapy will present higher airway dimensions

Design: randomized clinical trial with allocation and blinding of the examiners.

Participants: 3 to 6 year old children with complete primary dentition, dental and skeletal class I occlusion. The participants were classified as bruxist according to the minimal criteria of the ICSD for bruxism. The children were randomized in an experimental (n=13) and a control (n=13) group.

Intervention: A physiotherapeutic intervention using the Awareness through movement technique was applied to the children of the experimental group once a week, until 10 sessions were completed.

Outcome measures: anteroposterior measurements of the nasopharynx, oropharynx and hypopharynx taken in a lateral cephalogram with standardized techniques.


Detailed Summary:

The physiotherapeutic intervention was based on the Awareness Through Movement (ATM) (Goldman 2003, Malmgren-Olson et al 2001) technique. It is an established method of movement re-education where coordination and posture are significant factors. Its proponents believe more effective and efficient actions can emerge from guided exploration of movement that promotes improved attention and awareness and refines the ability to detect information and make perceptual discriminations.

"Awareness through Movement" (ATM) (Stephens et al 2006) is a process which facilitates the learning of strategies for improving organization and coordination of body movement by developing spatial and kinesthetic awareness of body-segment relationships at rest and during motion, awareness of ease of movement, reducing effort in action, and increasing learning of feeling the muscles longer in action and while breathing .

Ten physiotherapeutic sessions were planed during a ten week period, all of them based in children games. Each session lasted three hours.

The children of the experimental group and their parents were guided by two expert physiotherapist previously standardized and the sessions took place in a room rounded by mirrors, where the children were able to see their own movements. The parents helped their own children during the session and in their home plan indicated weekly.

Each session pursued the following steps:

  1. Presentation to the parents of the somatic awareness technique for each day.
  2. Movements, games, motor tales and exercises performed by the children, guided by the parents and with the guide of the physi
    Sponsor: CES University

    Current Primary Outcome:

    • ad1 [ Time Frame: After 10 sessions of physiotherapy ]
      ad1: Distance between the posterior nasal spine (PNS) and basion (Ba) along the line which intersects the anterior and posterior pharyngeal wall.
    • ad2 [ Time Frame: After the 10 sessions of physiotherapy ]
      ad2: Distance between the anterior and posterior pharyngeal wall traced perpendicular to the plane sella (S) Ba plane and passing through PNS.
    • Angle ad1-ad2 [ Time Frame: After 10 sessions of physiotherapy ]
      Angle ad1-ad2: angle formed by ad1 and ad2.
    • OAW1 [ Time Frame: After 10 sessions of physiotherapy ]
      OAW1: the distance between the points where the functional occlusal plane intersects the anterior and posterior pharyngeal walls.
    • OAW2 [ Time Frame: After 10 sessions of physiotherapy ]
      OAW2: the distance between points where a line passing through hyoid (hy) and C2 i intersects the anterior and posterior pharyngeal walls.
    • OAW3 [ Time Frame: After 10 sessions of physiotherapy ]
      OAW3: the distance between the points where a line passing through hy and C4 i intersects the anterior and posterior pharyngeal walls.
    • Angle OAW2-OAW3 [ Time Frame: After 10 sessions of physiotherapy ]
      Angle OAW2-OAW3: angle formed by OAW2 and OAW3.

    • Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

      Current Secondary Outcome:

      Original Secondary Outcome:

      Information By: CES University

      Dates:
      Date Received: August 5, 2010
      Date Started: January 2006
      Date Completion: November 2007
      Last Updated: August 9, 2010
      Last Verified: July 2006