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Dynamometers designed to measure the force that can be exerted by the tongue and lips as the main orofacial muscles using an air-filled bulb. These dynamometers usually consist of manual, handheld instrument that includes a port to attach a thin tube connected at the other end to a disposable air-filled bulb with an integral stem, and a pressure transducer. Pressures are measured when the patient exerts his/her maximum pressure with the tongue having the bulb placed against the hard palate just behind the alveolar ridge and also when squeezes the bulb against the buccal surface of the teeth with the lips. Bulb squeeze tongue and lip dynamometers are mainly used to evaluate patient swallowing and speech capabilities, they may be also used for diagnosis and treatment progress assessment of other diseases causing orofacial muscle weakening.
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