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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a handy probe to measure tongue
pressure without fear of radiation or infection. Materials and Methods: A probe was
assembled using a small balloon, a stainless pipe, and a 1-mL disposable tuberculin-test
syringe cylinder. The probe was pressurized to set the balloon diameter at approximately
18 mm. Forty-one subjects (16 men and 25 women, 24 to 84 years of age) participated.
To record maximal voluntary tongue pressure, the subjects were asked to compress the
balloon onto their palates as strongly as possible. To record deglutitious tongue pressure,
5 mL of water was measured and administered with a scaled 10-mL syringe and
swallowed with the balloon in the mouth. Both types of pressure were recorded three
times at 1-minute intervals. Peak values of each record were measured. Results:
Individuals varied from 10 to 41 kPa in the maximal voluntary trial and 3 to 27 kPa in the
deglutitious trial, with 5 and 7 kPa mean intraindividual ranges of reproducibility,
respectively. A negative correlation to age was found for both types of pressure. No
gender differences or effects of dentition were found. Conclusion: A disposable handy
probe for measuring tongue pressure was developed and tested for clinical use. Despite
the limited information acquired, we could see some quantitative aspects of tongue
function conveniently and safely. Int J Prosthodont 2002;15:385–388.
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