Effectiveness of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Added to Oral Motor Therapy in Cerebral Palsy

Structured oral motor exercises will be applied to the lips, tongue, cheeks, and jaw. Facial massage and thermal stimulation (warm and cold) will be performed. Intraoral sensory stimulation will be applied using a brush, lemon juice, and a cold metal probe.

Active NMES will be applied bilaterally to the masseter muscles and to the orbicularis oris muscle in addition to oral motor therapy sessions, using a Chattanooga NMES device. Each application will be performed in cycles of 5 seconds of stimulation and 10 seconds of rest. The stimulation parameters will be set to a frequency of 10-15 Hz and a pulse width of 300 microseconds. The current intensity will be gradually increased to a level just above the motor threshold, sufficient to elicit a noticeable pulling sensation without causing discomfort, and will be adjusted according to each participant's tolerance. NMES will be delivered for a total duration of 15 minutes per session. For the electrical stimulation of the orbicularis oris muscle, a pen-type electrode will be used. In this procedure, four regions of the orbicularis oris muscle (upper, lower, right, and left) will be stimulated in two cycles of 45 pulses each.

Simulated neuromuscular electrical stimulation will be applied without delivering active electrical current after oral motor therapy sessions to mimic the treatment experience without producing physiological effects.