CMT CMT Swallowing & Feeding Disorders 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A myofunctional therapist is evaluating an adult patient who was referred by an orthodontist. The patient demonstrates tongue protrusion between the teeth on every swallow. What is this called?
- Lateral tongue thrust
- Anterior tongue thrust (Correct answer)
- Posterior tongue thrust
- Tongue bracing
Correct answer: Anterior tongue thrust
Anterior tongue thrust is characterized by the tongue pushing forward between or against the upper and lower front teeth during swallowing.
Question 2: Which finding during a swallowing evaluation indicates a lateral tongue thrust?
- Open bite in the anterior region
- Posterior open bite or crossbite (Correct answer)
- Class III skeletal pattern
- Anterior teeth spacing
Correct answer: Posterior open bite or crossbite
Lateral tongue thrust, where the tongue presses sideways against the posterior teeth during swallowing, can cause or maintain a posterior open bite or crossbite.
Question 3: In assessing a toddler with feeding difficulties, the myofunctional therapist notes excessive food spillage from the mouth and lip smacking. This MOST likely indicates:
- Normal developmental feeding behavior
- Poor lip and buccal muscle tone and coordination (Correct answer)
- Tongue tie
- Dental crowding
Correct answer: Poor lip and buccal muscle tone and coordination
Food spillage and lip smacking during feeding suggest reduced labial and buccal muscle tone and coordination, which are key myofunctional targets in pediatric feeding therapy.
Question 4: What is the primary risk of a myofunctional therapist treating dysphagia that involves laryngeal or pharyngeal-phase disorders without proper referral?
- Wasting therapy sessions
- Working outside their scope of practice and risking patient safety (Correct answer)
- Reducing treatment efficiency
- Insurance claim denial
Correct answer: Working outside their scope of practice and risking patient safety
Laryngeal and pharyngeal dysphagia involves aspiration risk and falls within the scope of speech-language pathology; treating it without referral exceeds the myofunctional therapist's scope of practice.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes the swallowing phase that myofunctional therapy primarily addresses?
- Pharyngeal phase
- Esophageal phase
- Oral preparatory and oral phase (Correct answer)
- Laryngeal phase
Correct answer: Oral preparatory and oral phase
Myofunctional therapy primarily addresses the oral preparatory and oral phases of swallowing, where tongue, lip, and jaw muscle function determine how food is manipulated and propelled.
Question 6: Why is tongue-tip elevation a foundational exercise in swallowing retraining?
- It strengthens masseter muscles
- It establishes the correct anterior tongue contact point needed for a somatic swallow (Correct answer)
- It reduces salivary flow
- It corrects jaw posture
Correct answer: It establishes the correct anterior tongue contact point needed for a somatic swallow
Tongue-tip elevation to the palatal rugae establishes the precise contact point required for a correct somatic swallow, replacing the forward thrusting pattern.
CMT CMT Swallowing & Feeding Disorders 2
A myofunctional therapist is evaluating an adult patient who was referred by an orthodontist.
The patient demonstrates tongue protrusion between the teeth on every swallow.
What is this called?