Oral Screens in Post Stroke Training

April 11, 2022 updated by: Gunilla Sandborgh Englund, Karolinska Institutet

Stroke is a common disease in older people, and often leads to various degrees of disability. Dysphagia is one such consequence which is associated with aspiration pneumonia and malnutrition. There are studies showing that oral screen-training may reduce dysphagia, but the method is insufficiently evaluated. Since treatment with an oral screen is easy, relatively quick and cheap, it is of high relevance to perform a strict and unbiased study to assess the feasibility and efficacy of the intervention. Thus, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of daily oral screen training in post-stroke patients with dysphagia.

A randomized controlled clinical study will be performed in subjects who have had a first stroke 8-12 months earlier and suffer from dysphagia. The intervention consists of daily oral screen training for 3 months. In total 70 subjects will be randomized to intervention or control. The changes in swallowing capacity is the main outcome, and secondary outcomes are subjective swallowing problems, lip force, chewing function and quality of life.

Improved oral motor function and decreased dysphagia in post-stroke patients will result in an improved quality of life for the individual, and also reduce hospitalization and health care costs.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Terminated

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Project plan Population: Patients are recruited from the hospital Stockholms Sjukhem. When discharged, or 6-7 months after stroke, the patients are informed about the study. All positive answers are registered in a coded list. Patients are contacted by the investigators around eight months after the stroke. Patients are included in the study after informed consent, and if the inclusion criteria are fulfilled.

Inclusion criteria: ≥ 65 years of age. First stroke 8-12 months earlier. Remaining subjective and objective swallowing difficulties. Can eat. Can perform the training by himself/herself or with assistance. Natural teeth corresponding to category A according to Eichner's index.

Exclusion criteria: Moderate to severe impressive aphasia: <4.0 points by A-ning (Aphasia screening tool). Moderate to severe cognitive impairment: <23 points by MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment). Unilateral neglect according to the baking tray task.

Procedure: The speech therapist screens the patient with the instruments A-ning, MoCA and Baking tray task. The dentist categorizes their dental status according to Eichner's index. Patients who do not fulfill inclusion criteria are excluded.

The patients are randomized to intervention or control group by central randomization.

At baseline, the patients in the intervention group receive an oral screen (IQoroTM) and get oral and written instructions on how to use it. They are instructed to train three times per day with an effective training time of 1.5 minutes, and to record sessions in a training diary. The patients in the control group do not get any intervention, but will be offered the corresponding training after the end of the study.

At baseline, 1.5 (intervention group only) and 3 months following intervention onset, lip force, swallowing capacity and chewing function are determined. At baseline and 3 months, oro-facial functions are screened with NOT-S and subjective swallowing problems with EAT-10 (Eating assessment tool). In order to relate these specific oral and swallowing instruments to the patient's life situation, we also include the validated instruments ESAS (Edmonton symptom assessment scale) and LiSat (Life Satisfaction) at baseline and 3 months.

Compliance in the intervention group will be evaluated by a training diary. Methods: Lip force is determined with an oral screen in the oral cavity. A hand held digital force gauge is linked to the oral screen with a wire. The patient is instructed to keep the oral screen in place as long as possible while the wire is stretched. The maximum force during tension is recorded three times.

Chewing function is evaluated with regard to bolus formation and mixing efficiency, by the use of a two-colored wax or chewing gum. The shape of the bolus and how well the colors are mixed after 30 chewing cycles is determined by visual assessment and colorimetric measures.

Swallowing capacity test (SCT) is preceded by a water swallowing test with 3-5 tea spoons of water in 4-5 rounds, in order to secure that the SCT is safe to perform. SCT: The patient is instructed to drink 150 ml of water. Swallowing speed is expressed as ml/s. Less than 10 ml/s is considered as an index of abnormal swallowing.

Power: Based on 10 ml/s as the lower limit of normal swallowing speed, we assess that 54 subjects are needed to finish the study. The estimation is made on the basis of a previous study. With 54 subjects, we will be able to determine a 40% higher proportion in the intervention group reaching 10 ml/s in SCT after finishing the training program, with 80% power and significance level 5%. To compensate for expected drop outs, we aim to recruit 35 subjects per group.

It is estimated that it will take about one year to recruit all participants to the study.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
25

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Sweden
      • Stockholm, Sweden, SE11219
        • Public Dental Service in Stockholm

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

50 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • First or second stroke 8-12 months earlier.
  • Remaining subjective and objective swallowing difficulties.
  • Can eat. Can perform the training by himself/herself or with assistance from someone.
  • Natural teeth corresponding category A according to Eichner's index

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Moderate to severe impressive aphasia: <4.0 points by A-ning
  • Moderate to severe cognitive impairment: <23 by MoCA
  • Unilateral neglect according to baking tray task

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
No Intervention: Control
No intervention
Experimental: Intervention
Oral screen
Device: Oral screen
Oral screen training three times per day with an effective training time of 1.5 minutes, for 3 mo

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
SCT
Time Frame: Change from baseline swallowing capacity baseline at 3 mo
Swallowing capacity test
Change from baseline swallowing capacity baseline at 3 mo

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Lip force
Time Frame: Change from baseline lip force at Month 3
Lip muscle
Change from baseline lip force at Month 3
Chewing function
Time Frame: Change from baseline bolus formation at Month 3
Bolus formation
Change from baseline bolus formation at Month 3
QoL
Time Frame: Change from baseline ESAS at Month 3
Quality of Life by ESAS
Change from baseline ESAS at Month 3
Chewing function
Time Frame: Change from baseline mixing efficiency at Month 3
mixing efficiency
Change from baseline mixing efficiency at Month 3
QoL
Time Frame: Change from baseline LiSat at Month 3
LiSat
Change from baseline LiSat at Month 3

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Karolinska Institutet

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Gunilla Sandborgh-Englund, Prof, Karolinska Institutet

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 15, 2017

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 30, 2021

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 30, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 11, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 24, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 30, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 18, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 11, 2022

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • ACT2017A10

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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