Neurology and the Mouth as a Window to Health

📝 In this episode of ASAP Pathway; The Podcast,  Dr. Stacy sits down with Australian chiropractor and Myomunchee leader Dr. Mary Bourke to explore the powerful connection between oral function, neurological development, and lifelong health.Dr. Bourke shares the story behind the Myomunchee device—originally developed by her father in the 1960s after observing the powerful jaw structure of indigenous populations and recognizing the role chewing plays in oral health. What began as a periodontal and salivary health tool eventually revealed broader impacts on jaw development, bite alignment, and muscular function.
The conversation expands into the neurological foundations of oral development, including primitive reflexes, early feeding patterns, and how sucking, chewing, swallowing, and breathing must coordinate for proper development. Dr. Bourke explains how retained reflexes, prolonged pacifier use, and missed developmental milestones can influence oral function, nervous system regulation, and even behavioral patterns later in life.
They also discuss the growing importance of collaboration between dentistry, chiropractic care, speech therapy, and other healthcare disciplines to support early childhood development. The episode highlights the importance of recognizing dysfunction early and introduces the Oral Motor Foundations program, designed to help healthcare professionals understand developmental milestones and support healthy neurological integration.

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Myomunchee Oral Motor Foundations


Are you a practitioner working in the 0-2 year space? 
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⏱ CHAPTERS:
00:00 — Introduction to Dr. Mary Bourke and Myomunchee
02:24 — The history of Myomunchee and its 1966 patent
04:25 — Discovering chewing’s impact on oral health and salivary function
06:30 — Early research with Osaka Dental University and children’s chewing studies
08:01 — Chiropractic perspectives on TMJ, posture, and full-body health
11:37 — Why healthcare silos prevent whole-body understanding
12:47 — Discovering myofunctional therapy as the missing piece
16:00 — Dentistry’s evolving role in prevention and neurological health
18:44 — Introducing Oral Motor Foundations and the brain–mouth connection
26:30 — Primitive reflexes, breastfeeding, and early neurological development
31:30 — Pacifiers, chewing development, and oral milestones
39:55 — Food aversions, nervous system dysregulation, and oral sensory input
47:20 — Retained reflexes and long-term impacts into adulthood
51:10 — The Oral Motor Foundations education platform for clinicians


🧠 Key Learnings

1. Chewing plays a critical role in oral healthEarly Myomunchee research focused on improving salivary flow and periodontal health through chewing stimulation, which also strengthens oral musculature.
2. Oral function can influence bite developmentClinicians observed that children using chewing devices showed changes in crossbites and open bites, demonstrating how muscular activity influences dental alignment.
3. Dentistry and chiropractic perspectives can complement each otherDr. Bourke explains how viewing the jaw within a full-body framework—including posture and neurology—helps practitioners better understand dysfunction.
4. Primitive reflexes form the foundation of early developmentBabies rely on reflexes such as rooting, sucking, and swallowing to coordinate breathing and feeding. These reflexes guide neurological wiring in early infancy.
5.  Breastfeeding supports neurological coordinationBreastfeeding activates suck-swallow-breathe coordination and stimulates early neurological development through central pattern generators in the brainstem.
6. Pacifier use is helpful early—but timing mattersPacifiers can help organize newborn neurological patterns but should typically be phased out around six months so the tongue can assume its natural position in the palate.
7.  Retained primitive reflexes can affect oral and body functionIf reflexes do not integrate properly, individuals may experience oral hypersensitivity, gag reflexes, feeding challenges, or broader nervous system dysregulation.
8. Early oral sensory exposure shapes brain developmentThe mouth is the first three-dimensional mapping system for the brain. Tongue contact with the palate and oral exploration provide essential neurological feedback.
9. Oral dysfunction often appears alongside other symptomsMouth breathing, sleep disruption, ear infections, malocclusion, food aversions, and behavioral regulation issues often occur together within the same developmental pattern.
10. Early screening by healthcare professionals is criticalDentists, chiropractors, speech therapists, and other clinicians can help identify developmental dysfunction early and guide families toward appropriate interventions.

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