Deglutition is a complex oral function, and the study of the whole process requires a precise analysis of the elements involved, especially of the tongue biomechanics. We described a three-dimensional analysis of tongue movements during both saliva and water deglutition in participants with normal occlusion. Fourteen participants (25.36 ± 4.85 years) were evaluated, and the movements of anterior, middle, and posterior portions of the tongue were recorded using AG501 3D-electromagnetic articulograph. An average volume (AVS) for water deglutition was determined for each participant. Saliva deglutition was classified according to Bourdiol et al. 35.71% was type I, 14.29% type II, and 50% type III. The greatest displacement on the inferior–superior axis was in the posterior portion, followed by the middle and anterior portions. In the posterior–anterior axis, smallest movement was in the anterior portion. During water deglutition, on the inferior–superior axis, there were statistical differences for 1-AVS between the anterior/middle and anterior/posterior portions of the tongue. There were statistical differences for both ½-AVS and ¼-AVS between the anterior/posterior portions of the tongue. On the posterior–anterior axis, there were no statistical differences among any volume–portion relations. On the medial–lateral axis, there was statistical difference for the ½-AVS between middle and posterior portions. The movement of the tongue portions was influenced by the volume and the element to be swallowed. The amplitude of the movement was directly proportional to the volume of water swallowed.

In the last two decades, artificial scaffolds for nerve regeneration have been produced using a variety of polymers. Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a natural polyester that can be easily processed and offer several advantages; hence, the purpose of this review is to provide a better understanding of the efficacy of therapeutic approaches involving PHB scaffolds in promoting peripheral nerve regeneration following nerve dissection in animal models. A systematic literature review was performed following the “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses” (PRISMA) criteria. The revised databases were: Pub-Med/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Science Direct, EMBASE, and SCOPUS. Sixteen studies were included in this review. Different animal models and nerves were studied. Extension of nerve gaps reconnected by PHB scaffolds and the time periods of analysis were varied. The additives included in the scaffolds, if any, were growth factors, neurotrophins, other biopolymers, and neural progenitor cells. The analysis of the quality of the studies revealed good quality in general, with some aspects that could be improved. The analysis of the risk of bias revealed several weaknesses in all studies. The use of PHB as a biomaterial to prepare tubular scaffolds for nerve regeneration was shown to be promising. The incorporation of additives appears to be a trend that improves nerve regeneration. One of the main weaknesses of the reviewed articles was the lack of standardized experimentation on animals. It is recommended to follow the currently available guidelines to improve the design, avoid the risk of bias, maximize the quality of studies, and enhance translationality.

The Stomatognathic System (SS) is an integrated and coordinated morphofunctional unit, consisting of skeletal, muscular, angiological, nervous, glandular and dental structures that work in harmony to perform different functions such as chewing, swallowing, speaking, breathing, tasting and esthetics. The study of SS physiology is crucial to achieving a correct maintenance of its normal function or restoration. Thus, we developed a protocol to record mandibular movement, chewing and swallowing (saliva and water) by using the 3D-electromagnetic articulograph AG501 at the Oral Physiology Laboratory of the Research Centre for Dental Sciences (CICO). This tool has been used for decades in speech and phonetic research and it is able to record, present and evaluate articulated structure movement data in real time. The articulograph provides an ordered data matrix (values ??for the x, y, z axes, among others) for the recorded movement, which is stored in binary files that can be processed by different software. One of these is MATLAB®, allowing us to perform a quick, clear and understandable analysis. The existence of a standardized methodology for recording allows an accurate description of the stages to perform different types of measurements according to the researcher’s objective. This has opened the way for a new type of oral physiology analysis based on study reproducibility, which is considered one of the bases of scientific methodology.

Las articulaciones temporomandibulares y la musculatura asociada, permiten que la mandíbula se desplace en los tres planos del espacio (sagital, frontal y horizontal), de esta forma la mandíbula puede realizar movimientos mandibulares complejos. Hace varias décadas que los movimientos bordeantes mandibulares son estudiados, sin embargo, en un principio los estudios se realizaban en dos dimensiones (2D). En la actualidad, gracias al articulógrafo electromagnético (EMA) 3D es posible realizar el estudio de la cinemática mandibular en tres dimensiones (3D). El objetivo del siguiente estudio es analizar los movimientos mandibulares bordeantes (sagital, frontal y horizontal), por medio de la articulografía electromagnética 3D. En el estudio, participaron 11 personas de 31,9 ± 5,7 años en promedio (mujeres 30,2 ± 2,9 y hombres 34,0 ± 7,8) completamente dentados de primer molar a primer molar, sin trastornos temporomandibulares ni tratamiento previo de ortodoncia. Los archivos fueron procesados mediante scripts, desarrolladas en MATLAB®. Entre los resultados más relevantes, se encontró diferencia estadística entre hombres y mujeres en relación al área Frontal del polígono de Posselt, y los resultados del área del polígono sagital de todos los participantes, fue mayor que en estudios previos.

The purpose of this study was to compare the different swallowing patterns regarding tongue movement during saliva swallowing in healthy participants. Seventeen participants (23.0 ± 3.6 years old) were included in this cross-sectional study. The movement of the tongue (anterior, middle and posterior portions) on the three axes of space (inferior-superior, anterior-posterior and medial-lateral) was recorded using a 3D electromagnetic articulograph. The tongue movement patterns registered during saliva swallowing were classified according to Bourdiol et al. (2014) into Type I, II or III. Three swallowing patterns were identified (Type I, 64.7 %; Type II, 5.9 %; and Type III, 29.4 %). On the anterior-posterior axis, the displacement of the three portions of the tongue was significantly higher in Type III pattern compared with the Type I pattern. Furthermore, on the superior-inferior axis, the displacement of the anterior portion was significantly higher in Type III pattern compared with Type I pattern. In Type I pattern, on the inferior-superior axis, the smallest range of displacement occurred in the anterior portion of the tongue, followed by the middle and, finally, the posterior portion. In the analysis of Type III swallowing pattern, no significant differences were found on the range of displacement of the tongue portions on the three axes. Statistical differences were found between swallowing patterns Type I and III regarding tongue movement. The frequency of pattern II found in the participants of this study was not high enough to compare the three patterns. However, the results obtained indicate that the methodology applied could be used to identify the patterns based on quantitative data.

La deglución es una función indispensable para el ser humano, es una actividad compleja que necesita de la participación y coordinación de múltiples estructuras. Actualmente existen diferentes métodos para evaluar este proceso, sin embargo, la capacidad de describir el comportamiento de las estructuras en sus tres dimensiones es limitada. Se ha demostrado que el movimiento lingual, es clave para la formación del bolo alimenticio y la propulsión de este a la orofaringe. Es así como se han identificado patrones de movimiento lingual a través de diferentes técnicas. El objetivo de esta revisión es reportar las diferentes técnicas de evaluación de la deglución e identificar los patrones que establece cada una de ellas. Se realizó una revisión de la literatura en distintas bases de datos, a través de una estrategia de búsqueda sistematizada. Se utilizaron las palabras clave “Deglutition” “Swallowing” “Movement Tracking” “evaluation” y “patterns” en inglés y español. Se incluyeron estudios sin límite en la fecha de publicación, realizados en humanos, en idioma inglés, español y portugués. Se encontraron diferentes técnicas para evaluar la deglución, videofluoroscopía, endoscopía, articulografía electromagnética, electromiografía, tomografía computarizada, manometría, electropalatografía y ultrasonido. Entre las cuales la videofluoroscopía es una de las más utilizadas, con esta técnica se ha intentado describir patrones del movimiento durante la deglución, al igual que la articulografía electromagnética. Por otro lado, la electromiografía ha descrito patrones de deglución, pero en relación a la contracción y relajación de ciertos grupos musculares. Existen diferentes métodos para evaluar la deglución, cada una de estas técnicas ha permitido dilucidar de mejor forma este proceso, no obstante, es necesario una mayor cantidad de estudios comparativos que permitan resolver las dudas sobre la validez y la eficacia de las técnicas descritas.