Five Specific Tongue Movements in a Healthy Population.

The importance of tongue mobility on speech, oral food transport, and swallowing is well recognized. However, whether the individual tongue mobility influences postoperative function in oral cancer treatment remains to be elucidated. This study assesses the ability to perform five tongue movements as rolling, twisting (two sides), folding, and the 'cloverleaf' in a healthy population.

A New Accurate 3D Measurement Tool to Assess the Range of Motion of the Tongue in Oral Cancer Patients: A Standardized Model.

In oral cancer treatment, function loss such as speech and swallowing deterioration can be severe, mostly due to reduced lingual mobility. Until now, there is no standardized measurement tool for tongue mobility and pre-operative prediction of function loss is based on expert opinion instead of evidence based insight. The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of a triple-camera setup for the measurement of tongue range of motion (ROM) in healthy adults and its feasibility in patients with partial glossectomy.