BLA Research Published in International Journal of Orthodontics Winter 2020
Bakhtiyari, M., DDS, Patel, R., Sadeghi, S., Sadeghi, C., & Sadeghi, H. M. (2020). Effects of BLAfit® on Orobuccal Muscle and Facial Structure. International Journal of Orthodontics, 31(4), 39-42. Retrieved March 25, 2021
Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of daily one minute usage of BLAfit® (Bella Lip Appliance®, BLAfit Inc), a facial exercising device with built-in resistance on orobuccal muscles, as well as esthetic physical changes to the facial structure after one month. Twenty healthy female volunteers aged 18-57 participated in this research. Ten of the participants were placed in the study group and trained to use BLAfit® exercises for one minute a day for a period of one month and ten as control. The center of the philtrum of every subject was measured (landmark for measurement of orbicularis oris muscle) at the beginning and the conclusion of the experiment. Results indicated an average increase of muscle thickness of 0.626mm for the experimental population and a 0.021mm decrease in thickness for the control population. Non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney U tests) showed a statistically significant (p<0.05) difference between the two final measurements. The results demonstrated that daily facial exercise with BLAfit® led to a significant increase of orobuccal muscle mass as compared to control as well as increased facial symmetry, reduction of jaw pain and headaches, reduction of snoring, and other favorable physical changes in the facial structure such as more protruded and pronounced cheekbones, more defined jawline, and reduction of jowls.