Effects of water viscosity and tongue ingestion site on tongue pressure

Abstract

Objective

The purpose of this study was to help provide data to help to implement effective rehabilitation following surgery for oral cancer by comparing tongue pressure production for water and thickened water from the anterior and posterior parts of the tongue during swallowing.

Methods

Ten healthy volunteers (7 men, 3 women; age 27.6 ± 1.5 years) participated in the experiments. Tongue pressure during 3 ml water and 3 ml thickened water at the anterior and posterior tongue during swallowing were measured using a sensor sheet system with five measuring points on the hard palate. The sequential order of the points, maximal magnitude and duration of tongue pressure at each point were compared based on water viscosity and tongue ingestion site. There was a common pattern in the sequential order of tongue pressure generation among the two swallowing conditions.

Results

The maximal magnitude of tongue pressure was significantly higher when swallowing thickened water than when swallowing water at all points except for the anterior-median and mid-median part. Moreover, the pressure at all sites during posterior ingestions was significantly lower than that during anterior ingestion.

Conclusion

The present results provide mean values of tongue pressure during voluntarily triggered swallowing in anterior ingestion and posterior ingestion in young, healthy dentate individuals; these values can be clinically referenced for tongue pressure measurement in the evaluation of patients with dysphagia. The use of reference values may help streamline the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of dysphagia.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

from Rehabilitation via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2FvEP6G
via IFTTT