Local Vibration for Drooling in Children With Cerebral Palsy

June 15, 2026 updated by: Merve Tunçdemir, Bitlis Eren University

Effects of Local Vibration on Orofacial Muscle Tone and Drooling in Children With Cerebral Palsy

This randomized-controlled trial evaluates local vibration therapy for drooling and orofacial muscle biomechanics in children with cerebral palsy. Participants receive either local vibration plus conventional physiotherapy or sham vibration plus conventional physiotherapy.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

This randomized-controlled trial aims to evaluate the effects of local vibration therapy on drooling severity and perioral and submandibular muscle biomechanics in children with cerebral palsy. Participants will be allocated to either an experimental group receiving local vibration in addition to conventional physiotherapy or a control group receiving sham vibration with conventional physiotherapy. Local vibration will be applied to the perioral and submandibular regions for 5 minutes each over three consecutive days. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, immediately after the third intervention session, and at 1-week follow-up.

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 (Estimated)

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.
20

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Van, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Recruiting
        • Atlas Özel Eğitim ve Rehabilitasyon Merkezi
        • Contact:

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

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of cerebral palsy
  • Age between 2 and 18 years
  • Presence of anterior drooling
  • Drooling severity and frequency score ≥ 3 on a standardized drooling scale

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of surgical intervention for drooling management
  • History of botulinum toxin injection for drooling management
  • Use of medications affecting salivary control
  • Presence of progressive neurological disease
  • Presence of salivary gland pathology or active upper respiratory tract infection
  • History or symptoms of aspiration pneumonia within the last 6 months
  • Indication for surgical treatment of drooling (e.g., more than four clothing changes per day and presence of chin or neck dermatitis)
  • Uncontrolled seizures
  • Presence of oral or perioral lesions
  • Presence of gastrostomy tube
  • Treatment adherence below 85%

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.
Experimental: Local Vibration Group
In this group, participants will receive conventional physiotherapy combined with local vibration therapy. Local vibration will be applied to the perioral and submandibular regions for 5 minutes each (total 10 minutes per session) once daily for three consecutive days using a vibration device.
Other: Local Vibration Therapy
Local vibration therapy will be applied to the perioral and submandibular regions using a vibration device for 5 minutes each (total 10 minutes per session), once daily for three consecutive days.
Sham Comparator: Sham Vibration Group
In this group, participants will receive conventional physiotherapy combined with sham vibration. The vibration device will be activated but not applied to the skin surface. The procedure will mimic the experimental protocol in duration and setting and will be performed once daily for three consecutive days.
Other: Sham Vibration
Sham vibration will be administered using the same device without contact with the skin. The intervention will be delivered for 10 minutes per session, once daily for three consecutive days.

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
Muscle Tone
Time Frame: Baseline, immediately after the third intervention session, and 1-week follow-up
Muscle tone of the perioral and submandibular muscles (orbicularis oris and anterior digastric muscles) will be evaluated using a portable hand-held myotonometer (MyotonPRO). The MyotonPRO applies a short mechanical impulse to the skin overlying the muscle or fascia. The tissue response generates a signal that is recorded, and the internal software produces an acceleration graph.
Baseline, immediately after the third intervention session, and 1-week follow-up
Muscle Stiffness
Time Frame: Baseline, immediately after the third intervention session, and 1-week follow-up
Muscle stiffness of the perioral and submandibular muscles (orbicularis oris and anterior digastric muscles) will be evaluated using a portable hand-held myotonometer (MyotonPRO). The MyotonPRO applies a short mechanical impulse to the skin overlying the muscle or fascia. The tissue response generates a signal that is recorded, and the internal software produces an acceleration graph.
Baseline, immediately after the third intervention session, and 1-week follow-up
Muscle Elasticity (logarithmic decrement)
Time Frame: Baseline, immediately after the third intervention session, and 1-week follow-up
Muscle elasticity of the perioral and submandibular muscles (orbicularis oris and anterior digastric muscles) will be evaluated using a portable hand-held myotonometer (MyotonPRO). The MyotonPRO applies a short mechanical impulse to the skin overlying the muscle or fascia. The tissue response generates a signal that is recorded, and the internal software produces an acceleration graph.
Baseline, immediately after the third intervention session, and 1-week follow-up

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
Change in drooling severity and frequency
Time Frame: Baseline, immediately after the third intervention session, and 1-week follow-up
Drooling severity and frequency will be assessed using a standardized drooling scale, with severity scored from 1 (no drooling) to 5 (severe drooling) and frequency scored from 1 (no drooling) to 4 (constant drooling)
Baseline, immediately after the third intervention session, and 1-week follow-up
Global Rating of Change Scale
Time Frame: Immediately after the third intervention session and 1-week follow-up
Parent-reported global rating of change using the Global Rating of Change Scale. Scores range from -7 (very much worse) to +7 (very much improved), with higher scores indicating greater perceived improvement.
Immediately after the third intervention session and 1-week follow-up
Caregiver-reported drooling burden
Time Frame: Baseline, immediately after the third intervention session, and 1-week follow-up
Caregivers will report the frequency of clothing changes and use of tissues related to drooling.
Baseline, immediately after the third intervention session, and 1-week follow-up

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.
Bitlis Eren University

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: merve tunçdemir, Asst. Prof., Bitlis Eren University
  • Principal Investigator: Ömer DURSUN, Assoc. Prof., Bitlis Eren University

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.
June 15, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
August 27, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
August 27, 2026

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).
April 17, 2026

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.
June 2, 2026

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.
June 4, 2026

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.
June 16, 2026

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.
June 15, 2026

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.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • Beuftr_4

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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