{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T00:41:52Z","timestamp":1790728912758,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,6]],"date-time":"2025-08-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1754438400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"CMHI","award":["M46\/2019"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["M46\/2019"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neuromuscular disorder that frequently affects bulbar function, including feeding and swallowing. Although disease-modifying therapies have improved motor outcomes, little is known about the persistence of oromotor difficulties, particularly with regard to solid food intake. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate mastication and swallowing performance in children with SMA undergoing treatment, and to investigate the association between tongue strength and feeding efficiency. Methods: Twenty-two children with SMA types 1\u20133 were assessed using the Test of Masticating and Swallowing Solids in Children (TOMASS-C) and the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI). Key TOMASS-C outcomes included the number of bites, chewing cycles, swallows, and total eating time. Tongue strength was measured in kilopascals. Results: Most participants showed deviations from age-specific normative values in at least one TOMASS-C parameter. Tongue strength was significantly lower than reference values in 86% of participants and correlated negatively with all TOMASS-C outcomes (p &lt; 0.001). Children with weaker tongue pressure required more swallows, more chewing cycles, and longer eating times. Conclusions: Despite pharmacological treatment, children with SMA experience persistent difficulties in eating solid foods. Tongue strength may serve as a non-invasive biomarker for bulbar dysfunction and support dietary decision-making and therapeutic planning.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu17152561","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,6]],"date-time":"2025-08-06T10:13:51Z","timestamp":1754475231000},"page":"2561","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Difficulties of Eating and Masticating Solid Food in Children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy\u2014Preliminary Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9325-2957","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ewa","family":"Winnicka","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Audiology and Phoniatrics, The Children\u2019s Memorial Health Institute, 04-730 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Adrianna","family":"\u0141abuz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Audiology and Phoniatrics, The Children\u2019s Memorial Health Institute, 04-730 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0509-1004","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zbigniew","family":"Ku\u0142aga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, The Children\u2019s Memorial Health Institute, 04-730 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7813-543X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tomasz","family":"Grochowski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Audiology and Phoniatrics, The Children\u2019s Memorial Health Institute, 04-730 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Piotr","family":"Socha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Nutrition Disorders and Pediatrics, The Children\u2019s Memorial Health Institute, 04-730 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"155","DOI":"10.1016\/0092-8674(95)90460-3","article-title":"Identification and characterization of a spinal muscular atrophy-determining gene","volume":"80","author":"Lefebvre","year":"1995","journal-title":"Cell"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"443","DOI":"10.1016\/S1474-4422(12)70061-3","article-title":"Childhood spinal muscular atrophy: Controversies and challenges","volume":"11","author":"Mercuri","year":"2012","journal-title":"Lancet Neurol."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nmd.2017.11.005","article-title":"Diagnosis and management of spinal muscular atrophy: Part 1: Recommendations for diagnosis, rehabilitation, orthopedic and nutritional care","volume":"28","author":"Mercuri","year":"2018","journal-title":"Neuromuscul. 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