Rehabilitation Sciences Program, Faculdade de Ceilândia, University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil.
Clin Exp Dent Res. 2021 Dec;7(6):1131-1143. doi: 10.1002/cre2.470. Epub 2021 Sep 29.
In recent years, a number of clinical trials have been published comparing transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and traditional speech therapy treatment of voice and swallowing functions, but results have been conflicting.
Assess the methodological quality of studies and determine whether TENS is an efficient therapeutic strategy for speech therapy treatment of healthy adults or those with dysphonia and/or dysphagia.
The databases used were Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MedLine), Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS), Cochrane Library and Web of Science (ISI Web of Knowledge). The study was conducted between May 2018 and January 2019, in line with Cochrane Handbook guidelines, and included studies on the use of TENS in healthy adults or those with compromised voice and/or swallowing function.
After the search and extraction of studies, the following were identified: TENS + VOICE: 7 articles; TENS + SWALLOWING: 5 articles. The studies exhibited medium quality and are heterogeneous, making it difficult to determine their effectiveness and the parameters to be used in future research. There were no statistically significant differences between the use of TENS alone or associated with another therapeutic technique for voice. For swallowing function, one study proved better results in cases of associated techniques - TENS + traditional therapy.
Speech therapy should increase the number of studies published and improve their methodological quality, reassessing methodological criteria. Current clinical practice is not grounded in evidence-based science. CLINICAL MESSAGE: the studies analyzed exhibited medium methodological quality; there are variations in the time, number and periodicity of the therapeutic sessions for TENS; there were no statistically significant differences between the use of TENS alone or associated with another therapeutic technique in voice; there were statistically significant differences between the use of TENS associated with traditional therapeutic in swallowing function.
近年来，已有多项临床试验发表，比较经皮神经电刺激（TENS）与传统言语治疗对嗓音和吞咽功能的疗效，但结果相互矛盾。
评估研究的方法学质量，并确定 TENS 是否是治疗健康成人或声音障碍和/或吞咽障碍患者的有效治疗策略。
使用的数据库包括医学文献分析和检索系统在线（MedLine）、巴西虚拟健康图书馆（BVS）、 Cochrane 图书馆和 Web of Science（ISI Web of Knowledge）。本研究于 2018 年 5 月至 2019 年 1 月进行，遵循 Cochrane 手册指南，纳入了关于 TENS 在健康成人或声音障碍和/或吞咽障碍患者中应用的研究。
经过对研究的检索和提取，确定了以下研究：TENS + VOICE：7 篇；TENS + SWALLOWING：5 篇。这些研究质量中等，存在异质性，难以确定其有效性和未来研究中要使用的参数。TENS 单独使用或与另一种治疗技术联合使用对声音的效果无统计学差异。对于吞咽功能，一项研究证明联合技术（TENS + 传统疗法）的效果更好。
言语治疗应增加发表的研究数量并提高其方法学质量，重新评估方法学标准。目前的临床实践没有基于循证科学。临床意义：分析的研究显示出中等的方法学质量；TENS 的治疗时间、次数和周期存在差异；TENS 单独使用或与另一种治疗技术联合使用对声音的效果无统计学差异；TENS 联合传统疗法治疗吞咽功能的效果有统计学差异。
