<p>Lip force has been found to affect the ability to achieve satisfying speech production and swallowing. A normative value for lip force in adults has been measured to 15 Newton (N). Corresponding value for children measured with Lip Force Meter 100 (LF100) does not exist. In the current study lip force was measured in children between the ages of five and ten years. The aim of the study was to obtain normative values for children with typical development in separate age groups. Production of syllable with initial bilabial plosive was further calculated to see if any correlation between lip force and syllable production existed. An examination of learning effect in repeated measures was also executed. The age group 5:0-5:11 only included four participants. This age group was therefore not included in the statistical measurements.</p><p>The common mean for lip force in all children was 14.98 N. The mean for each age group was 12.75 N for 5:0-5:11 year olds, 14.69 N for 6:0-6:11, 16.93 N for 7:0-7:11, 14.97 N for 8:0-8:11 and 14.14 N for the age group 9:0-9:11 years. In the current study no significant differences in lip force was found between age groups.</p><p>The common mean for syllable production in all children was 5.50 syllables/second. A significant difference between the ages six and seven year olds as well as six and nine year olds was found, where the older age groups showed higher values. No significant correlation was found between lip force and syllable production.</p><p>Analysis of the learning effect over three lip force measurements showed tendencies for increased lip force at the last measure. The difference was not significant. In the present study no statistical measurements for gender differences were executed for each separate age group due to small numbers. Measurements in age group 6:0-9:11 showed tendencies for higher values of both lip force and syllable production for girls. These differences were not significant.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p>

<p><b>Aims</b></p><p>The aims of the thesis were to validate investigation instruments for stroke patients with dysphagia, and to improve oropharyngeal dysphagia therapies.</p><p><b>Methods/Results</b></p><p>A Lip Force Meter, LF 100, affirmed excellent intra- and inter-reliability, sensitivity and specificity. Controls had significantly stronger lip force (LF) and swallowing capacity (SC) than stroke patients. A normal lower limit of LF was set to 15 Newton. Dysphagia symptoms improved in 7 stroke patients after a 5-week sensorimotor stimulation therapy comprising manual body and facial regulation in combination with palatal plate application. Impaired LF and impaired SC were parallel phenomena in 22 acute stroke patients and did not differ regardless of presence or absence of facial palsy. LF and SC improved and were parallel phenomena in 30 stroke patients and did not differ regardless of presence or absence of facial palsy, time lag between stroke attack and start of treatment, or age. SC was normalized in 19 of 30 dysphagia patients after a 5-8-week daily lip muscle self-training with an oral screen. </p><p><b>Conclusions</b></p><p>LF100 is an appropriate and reliable instrument for measuring lip force. Dysphagia improvement, by body and facial sensorimotor stimulation in combination with palatal plate application, or by training with an oral screen is excellent examples of brain plasticity and cortical reorganisation. . Swallowing capacity and lip force in stroke patients are parallel phenomena. A sub clinical facial paresis seems to be present in most stroke patients. Training with an oral screen can improve LF and SC in stroke patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia. </p>

<b>Aims</b> The aims of the thesis were to validate investigation instruments for stroke patients with dysphagia, and to improve oropharyngeal dysphagia therapies. <b>Methods/Results</b> A Lip Force Meter, LF 100, affirmed excellent intra- and inter-reliability, sensitivity and specificity. Controls had significantly stronger lip force (LF) and swallowing capacity (SC) than stroke patients. A normal lower limit of LF was set to 15 Newton. Dysphagia symptoms improved in 7 stroke patients after a 5-week sensorimotor stimulation therapy comprising manual body and facial regulation in combination with palatal plate application. Impaired LF and impaired SC were parallel phenomena in 22 acute stroke patients and did not differ regardless of presence or absence of facial palsy. LF and SC improved and were parallel phenomena in 30 stroke patients and did not differ regardless of presence or absence of facial palsy, time lag between stroke attack and start of treatment, or age. SC was normalized in 19 of 30 dysphagia patients after a 5-8-week daily lip muscle self-training with an oral screen. <b>Conclusions</b> LF100 is an appropriate and reliable instrument for measuring lip force. Dysphagia improvement, by body and facial sensorimotor stimulation in combination with palatal plate application, or by training with an oral screen is excellent examples of brain plasticity and cortical reorganisation. . Swallowing capacity and lip force in stroke patients are parallel phenomena. A sub clinical facial paresis seems to be present in most stroke patients. Training with an oral screen can improve LF and SC in stroke patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia.

Lip force has been found to affect the ability to achieve satisfying speech production and swallowing. A normative value for lip force in adults has been measured to 15 Newton (N). Corresponding value for children measured with Lip Force Meter 100 (LF100) does not exist. In the current study lip force was measured in children between the ages of five and ten years. The aim of the study was to obtain normative values for children with typical development in separate age groups. Production of syllable with initial bilabial plosive was further calculated to see if any correlation between lip force and syllable production existed. An examination of learning effect in repeated measures was also executed. The age group 5:0-5:11 only included four participants. This age group was therefore not included in the statistical measurements. The common mean for lip force in all children was 14.98 N. The mean for each age group was 12.75 N for 5:0-5:11 year olds, 14.69 N for 6:0-6:11, 16.93 N for 7:0-7:11, 14.97 N for 8:0-8:11 and 14.14 N for the age group 9:0-9:11 years. In the current study no significant differences in lip force was found between age groups. The common mean for syllable production in all children was 5.50 syllables/second. A significant difference between the ages six and seven year olds as well as six and nine year olds was found, where the older age groups showed higher values. No significant correlation was found between lip force and syllable production. Analysis of the learning effect over three lip force measurements showed tendencies for increased lip force at the last measure. The difference was not significant. In the present study no statistical measurements for gender differences were executed for each separate age group due to small numbers. Measurements in age group 6:0-9:11 showed tendencies for higher values of both lip force and syllable production for girls. These differences were not significant.