Early oral function therapy by using palatal plate and Dohsa-hou method to infants with Down Syndrome

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Most of infants with Down syndrome can't close their mouths and retract their tongues usually. We attempted to prove the effects of oral function therapy by using the palatal plate of Castillo Morales and exercising Dohsa-hou method and the relationship between occlusion and body posture. Immediately after they wore the palatal plate, they can close mouths and retract tongues. But as they grew up, these oral functions were not stabilized at eating and drinking time as well as resting time. We think we had better add the direct and/or indirect therapy concerning to the deglutition. They have characteristic body posture as stooped shoulders, prutrudent abdominal region and bend backward knees. The exercise of Dohsa-hou method improved on their body posture. But mandibular protrusion still remained. To examine relationship between occlusion and body posture, healthy adults were used. Because it was very difficult for infants with Down syndrome on, the cooperation. Though the individual deviations were larger, the agreement rates of the derection of changing the center of gravity consciously with the center of occlusion were 50-75%. A few adults with Down syndrome had a tendency to exhibit the larger movement of center of gravity and the smaller pressure of occlusion than these of healthy adults.