Thomas-Stonell and Greenberg used a combined drooling ranking to evaluate patients who are drooling. This can be used to evaluate the patient initially and the patient's response to an intervention. The authors are from Hugh MacMillan Medical Centre in Toronto.
Subjects: ages 2 to 23 years with mean age 7.3 years
Predictors for identifying a patient who should have a better outcome:
(1) absence of oral motor dysfunction
(2) ability to follow instructions
(3) good head control
(4) able to walk without aids (good mobility)
(5) adequate oral structures (absence of anatomical defects)
(6) old enough to understand (a young child may not be able to comprehend)
A patient with all of these findings may improve with little or no intervention.
An additional factor not listed is whether or not a cause for the drooling can be corrected, such as stopping a medication that enhances salivation.
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