Telemedicine-enabled biofeedback electropalatography rehabilitation (TEBER): A pilot study for patients treated with surgery for oral cavity carcinoma

Background: To address the rehabilitative barriers to frequency and precision of care, we conducted a pilot study of a biofeedback electropalatography (EPG) device paired with telemedicine for patients who underwent primary surgery +/− adjuvant radiation for oral cavity carcinoma. We hypothesized that lingual optimization followed by telemedicine-enabled biofeedback electropalatography rehabilitation (TEBER) would further improve speech and swallowing outcomes after “standard-of-care” SOC rehabilitation. Method: Pilot prospective 8-week (TEBER) program following 8 weeks of (SOC) rehabilitation. Results: Twenty-seven patients were included and 11 completed the protocol. When examining the benefit of TEBER independent of standard of care, “range-of-liquids” improved by +0.36 [95% CI, 0.02–0.70, p = 0.05] and “range-of-solids” improved by +0.73 [95% CI, 0.12–1.34, p = 0.03]. There was a positive trend toward better oral cavity obliteration; residual volume decreased by −1.2 [95% CI, −2.45 to 0.053, p = 0.06], and “nutritional-mode” increased by +0.55 [95% CI, −0.15 to 1.24, p = 0.08]. Conclusion: This pilot suggests that TEBER bolsters oral rehabilitation after 8 weeks of SOC lingual range of motion.