Can mouth and face exercises reshape how kids swallow and breathe?
NCT ID NCT07828769
First seen Sep 18, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026
Summary
Researchers in Estonia are studying whether eight months of orofacial myofunctional therapy can improve mouth and face function in children and adolescents aged 7 to 14 who have orofacial myofunctional disorders. Participants attend eight therapy sessions and practice tailored exercises at home once a day, targeting tongue and lip strength, swallowing, tongue posture, and nasal breathing. The study measures changes in muscle activity during swallowing and in tongue strength using standardized clinical tools, and it tracks how these changes relate to facial structure and how closely participants follow the program.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- orofacial myofunctional therapy, a structured exercise program for the mouth and face
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could give families and clinicians clearer evidence that structured mouth and face exercises improve tongue strength, swallowing, and breathing in children with these disorders.
- What could go wrong
- The study is small and has no comparison group, so improvements may reflect normal growth or extra attention rather than the therapy itself. Children must practice daily at home, and results may not apply to other ages or settings.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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7 to 14 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 7-14 years at the time of enrollment. * Referred for orofacial myofunctional therapy. * Diagnosed with an orofacial myofunctional disorder. * Willingness to participate in therapy and assessments according to the study protocol. * Written informed consent from a parent or legal guardian for the child's participation in the study. * Written informed assent from the child to participate in the study. * Written consent from a parent or legal guardian to participate in the study by completing the questionnaire assessing their child's treatment adherence. * Sufficient proficiency in Estonian to participate in the study and understand the study procedures. Exclusion Criteria: * Structural craniofacial anomalies or syndromes (e.g., cleft lip and/or palate). * A medical condition that prevents safe participation in therapy or study assessments.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Tartu University Hospital, Clinic of Dentistry
Tartu, 50406, Estonia
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