Establishing a preliminary normative database of oral efficiency for children: the Test of Masticating and Swallowing Solids Application (ToMaSSApp).

UNLABELLED: The Test of Masticating and Swallowing Solids (ToMaSS) is a diagnostic tool that measures oropharyngeal efficiency of solid bolus consumption through the number of bites, mastication cycles, swallows, and time taken. An application (ToMaSSApp™) has been used to administer the assessment. The project aimed to establish a preliminary normative database for the ToMaSS-C in children administered with the ToMaSSApp™ and to make comparisons to previously manually collected data. A total of 114 healthy children (57 boys and 57 girls) aged 4 to 19 years (M = 9 years, SD = 4.6 years) were asked to consume a cracker. The efficiency measures were obtained via the ToMaSSApp™. A generalized linear regression model was fitted for each measure and used to obtain normative tables from the data. Equivalence testing was used to compare the data collected via ToMaSSApp™ to the older manually collected data. A normative dataset for the ToMaSS-C in children was established based on the data collected using the ToMaSSApp™. Within the normative dataset, age affected boys and girls similarly and had a statistically significant effect on ToMaSS-C measures (p < 0.05). No equivalence was found between the historical manual and App-based test administration for any ToMaSS-C parameters with larger differences for younger ages.

CONCLUSION: The ToMaSSApp™ is shown to be a feasible and efficient tool in the administration of the ToMaSS-C in the paediatric population. Establishing normative data for the ToMaSS-C is essential for understanding typical processes of oropharyngeal efficiency of solid food consumption as well as identifying and managing dysphagia or oral motor delays.

WHAT'S KNOWN: • ToMaSS can be administered to children (ToMaSS-C) using a manual recording method. • The ToMaSSApp™, as a digital alternative, has recently been used to establish a normative dataset in adults.

WHAT IS NEW: • The ToMaSSApp™ is feasible for paediatric ToMaSS-C administration. • A preliminary normative dataset for children was established using the App-based recording method.