Effects of tongue strengthening exercises in healthy adults and elderly: an integrative literature review

PURPOSE: To summarize and discuss the scientific literature on the effects of tongue strengthening exercises on healthy adults and elderly people. RESEARCH STRATEGIES: We searched two online databases, PubMed and Web of Science. SELECTION CRITERIA: Studies with evidence of interventions in tongues strengthening exercises in healthy individuals over 18 years of age. DATA ANALYSIS: Study objectives, design, participants, interventions, gain in the percentage of tongue strength. RESULTS: Sixteen studies were included. There was an increase in tongue strength after strengthening training in healthy adults and elderly people. This strength was maintained after a short period of detraining. We could not compare the results between age groups due to the different methodological designs. We found that the approach of a less intense training protocol was more effective in gaining tongue strength in the elderly. CONCLUSION: Tongue strength training proved effective in increasing tongue strength in healthy individuals of different age groups. The benefits reported for the elderly corresponded to the reversal of the progressive loss of strength and muscle mass caused by aging. These findings must be interpreted with caution considering the number of studies on the elderly and their methodological variability.