Functional disorders of maxillofacial region in children with cerebral paralysis

Aim. To reveal the peculiar features of functional disorders in maxillofacial region among children with cerebral paralysis.

Materials and methods. While carrying out complex neurological, stomatological and logopedic examination of 120 patients (age 3 to15 years) with the above mentioned diagnosis, the following was assessed: the course of speech development (first words, phrases), state of general, fine and speech motor activity, speech sounding, status of speech apparatus.

Results. The data on frequency and structure of functional maxillofacial disorders in children with cerebral paralysis were obtained. Thus, dysfunction of swallowing was detected in 32,5 % of cases. In 53,33 % of cases from the total number of the examined patients, there was revealed the impaired chewing function in the form of slow chewing process, which occurred in 100,0 % of cases among children with double hemiplegia. Impaired speech development in the form of pseudobulbar dysarthria (spasticoparetic, spasticorigid) and anarthria was diagnosed in 82 (68,33 %) persons, speech development corresponded to age in 38 (31,67 %) children.

Conclusions. The obtained data on peculiar features of functional maxillofacial disorders, observed among children with different clinical variants of spastic cerebral paralysis forms, should be used in practical health care for planning treatment-and-prophylactic measures at rehabilitation centres.