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Drooling in children with cerebral palsy: effect of salivary flow reduction on daily life and care

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 January 2006

Jan JW Van der Burg
Affiliation:
Sint Maartenskliniek, Rehabilitation Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Peter H Jongerius
Affiliation:
Department of Rehabilitation, University Medical Centre ‘UMCN St Radboud’, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Karen Van Hulst
Affiliation:
Department of Child Neurology, University Medical Centre ‘UMCN St Radboud’, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Jacques Van Limbeek
Affiliation:
Sint Maartenskliniek, Rehabilitation Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Jan J Rotteveel
Affiliation:
Department of Child Neurology, University Medical Centre ‘UMCN St Radboud’, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of salivary flow reduction on daily life and provision of care in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Parents of children with CP were asked to fill in a questionnaire on the impact of drooling on the daily life of their children and their families and the data were then analyzed. Forty-five children with severe drooling (28 males, 17 females; mean age 9y 5mo [SD 3y 7mo]; range 3 to 16y) were monitored before and after receiving medication (scopolamine and botulinum toxin) to reduce salivary flow. Type of CP included hypotonia (n=1), spastic paresis (n=27), and mixed motor disorders with spastic and dyskinetic paresis (n=17). Eight children were independently ambulant and 37 children were wheelchair users. Thirty-four children had learning disability with a developmental age of below 6 years. Six participants dropped out of the study; data on 39 children were analyzed. Results showed that anticholinergic agents effectively reduced salivary flow. Drooling diminished substantially and this was accompanied by a significant reduction in care needs, making daily care less demanding. The amount of reported damage to communication devices and computers decreased. In addition to the evaluation of primary variables, such as the salivary flow rate, investigation of impact of drooling on daily life provides useful information about the outcome of treatment for reduction in drooling.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
2006 Mac Keith Press

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