矯正用橫腭弧線對成人舌部吞嚥運動之影響

The application of a transpalatal arch(TPA) is quite common in orthodontic treatment. However, patients often feel discomfort after application of a TPA. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of TPA on tongue movements during swallowing as well as the adaptative ability of the tongue to a TPA. Fifteen healthy adults with no known swallowing disorder were selected for this study. The volunteers were examined using B+M-mode ultrasonography to assess tongue swallowing movements immediately after application of a 2-mm TPA, and on the 1st, 3rd and 7th days, respectively. Differences between the original condition and ongoing conditions after TPA application were examined by the Wilcoxon sign ranked test. The results revealed that application of the TPA resulted in a prolonged duration of the late transports phase (p＜0.05). The prolonged effect subsided after the 7th day. The increase in total swallowing time was found to be longer for each observation time after TPA application (p＜0.05). In addition to the resting position, all measurements recovered immediately after removal of the TPA. The resting position was recovered within 7days after removal of the TPA. Indeed, tongue movements were interfered with after application of the TPA, but the tongue possessed the ability to adapt to a 2-mm TPA.