PURPOSE: To describe morphofunctional alterations in the functions of chewing and deglutition, to recognize the most accepted food consistency, and to evaluate the presence of compensatory maneuvers during deglutition, in children and adolescents with Möbius syndrome. METHODS: The subjects were eight children (three female and five male), with ages ranging from five to 15 years, diagnosed with Möbius syndrome. The children were evaluated during a feeding situation, where they were offered food with different consistencies: liquid, pasty and solid. Data were registered in an evaluation protocol adapted by Guedes, Shintani and Cabello (2003). RESULTS: Results showed a significant relation between tongue mobility condition and type of mastication. The variables speed of mastication and contraction of the masseter muscle were also dependents (p=0018), since there was no change in the speed of mastication when the contraction of the masseter was present. The cheese bread was the best solid consistency food for evaluation, because it produced a more cohesive and less widespread mass in the oral cavity. CONCLUSIONS: The morphofunctional alterations found in patients with Möbius syndrome contributed to change the dynamics of chewing and swallowing. All subjects in the sample used compensatory maneuvers. Therefore, even in the absence of clinical signs that suggest penetration/aspiration, patients with such diagnosis should be referred to speech therapy, in order to provide adequate conditions for a more pleasant meal.
Möbius syndrome; Stomatognatic system; Deglutition; Mastication; Deglutition disorder
