The aims of this study were to analyse the validity, sensitivity and specificity of the protocol of oro-facial myofunctional evaluation with scores (OMES) for oro-facial myofunctional disorder (OMD) diagnosis in young and adult subjects. Eighty subjects were examined. The OMES was validated against the Nordic orofacial test-screening (NOT-S) protocol (criterion validity) (Spearman correlation test). The construct validity was tested by analysis of the ability of the OMES (i) to differentiate healthy subjects (n = 22) from temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients (n = 22), which frequently have OMD (Mann-Whitney test) and (ii) to measure the changes that occurred in a subgroup with TMD between the period before and after oro-facial myofunctional therapy (T group, n = 15) (Wilcoxon test). Two speech therapists trained with the OMES participated as examiners (E). There was a statistically significant correlation between the OMES and NOT-S protocols, which was negative because the two scales are inverse (r = -0·86, P < 0·01). There was a significant difference between the healthy and TMD subjects regarding the oro-facial myofunctional status (OMES total score, P = 0·003). After therapy, the T group showed improvement in the oro-facial myofunctional status (OMES total score, P = 0·001). Inter- and intra-examiner agreement was moderate, and the reliability coefficients ranged from good to excellent. The OMES protocol presented mean sensitivity and specificity = 0·80, positive predictive value = 0·76 and negative predictive value = 0·84.
Conclusion: The OMES protocol is valid and reliable for clinical evaluation of young and adult subjects, among them patients with TMD.
© 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.