A Randomized Trial Comparing Two Tongue-Pressure Resistance Training Protocols for Post-Stroke Dysphagia.

The objective of this study was to compare the outcomes of two tongue resistance training protocols. One protocol ("tongue-pressure profile training") emphasized the pressure-timing patterns that are typically seen in healthy swallows by focusing on gradual pressure release and saliva swallowing tasks. The second protocol ("tongue-pressure strength and accuracy training") emphasized strength and accuracy in tongue-palate pressure generation and did not include swallowing tasks. A prospective, randomized, parallel allocation trial was conducted. Of 26 participants who were screened for eligibility, 14 received up to 24 sessions of treatment. Outcome measures of posterior tongue strength, oral bolus control, penetration-aspiration and vallecular residue were made based on videofluoroscopy analysis by blinded raters. Complete data were available for 11 participants. Significant improvements were seen in tongue strength and post-swallow vallecular residue with thin liquids, regardless of treatment condition. Stage transition duration (a measure of the duration of the bolus presence in the pharynx prior to swallow initiation, which had been chosen to capture impairments in oral bolus control) showed no significant differences. Similarly, significant improvements were not seen in median scores on the penetration-aspiration scale. This trial suggests that tongue strength can be improved with resistance training for individuals with tongue weakness following stroke. We conclude that improved penetration-aspiration does not necessarily accompany improvements in tongue strength; however, tongue-pressure resistance training does appear to be effective for reducing thin liquid vallecular residue.

Erratum to: The Influence of Food Texture and Liquid Consistency Modification on Swallowing Physiology and Function: A Systematic Review.

Erratum to: Dysphagia DOI 10.1007/s00455-014-9578-x. In the original version of this article, Fig. 1 was published incorrectly. The corrected figure is given below.

The influence of food texture and liquid consistency modification on swallowing physiology and function: a systematic review.

Texture modification has become one of the most common forms of intervention for dysphagia, and is widely considered important for promoting safe and efficient swallowing. However, to date, there is no single convention with respect to the terminology used to describe levels of liquid thickening or food texture modification for clinical use. As a first step toward building a common taxonomy, a systematic review was undertaken to identify empirical evidence describing the impact of liquid consistency and food texture on swallowing behavior. A multi-engine search yielded 10,147 non-duplicate articles, which were screened for relevance. A team of ten international researchers collaborated to conduct full-text reviews for 488 of these articles, which met the study inclusion criteria. Of these, 36 articles were found to contain specific information comparing oral processing or swallowing behaviors for at least two liquid consistencies or food textures. Qualitative synthesis revealed two key trends with respect to the impact of thickening liquids on swallowing: thicker liquids reduce the risk of penetration-aspiration, but also increase the risk of post-swallow residue in the pharynx. The literature was insufficient to support the delineation of specific viscosity boundaries or other quantifiable material properties related to these clinical outcomes. With respect to food texture, the literature pointed to properties of hardness, cohesiveness, and slipperiness as being relevant both for physiological behaviors and bolus flow patterns. The literature suggests a need to classify food and fluid behavior in the context of the physiological processes involved in oral transport and flow initiation.

The effect of tongue strength on meal consumption in long term care.

PURPOSE: As many as 74% of residents in long-term care (LTC) are anticipated to have swallowing difficulties (dysphagia). Low food intake is commonly reported in persons with swallowing problems, but food intake may also be affected by fatigue in the swallowing muscles. As fatigue sets in during mealtimes, the strength of the tongue may decline. Tongue strength is also known to decline with age but it is unclear how this functional change may influence food intake. In this pilot study, we explored the relationship between tongue strength and meal consumption in persons not previously diagnosed with dysphagia. METHODS: The Iowa Oral Performance Instrument was used to collect maximum anterior isometric tongue-palate pressures from 12 LTC residents (5 male; mean age: 85, range 65-99). Residents were also screened for dysphagia with applesauce and a water swallow test. Each resident was observed at three different meals to record the length of time taken to eat the meal, amount of food consumed, and any indication of overt signs of swallowing difficulty (e.g. coughing). RESULTS: Residents who displayed observable swallowing difficulties at mealtimes had significantly lower tongue strength than those without swallowing difficulties (p < 0.01). Those with lower tongue strength took significantly longer to complete meals (p < 0.05) and consumed less food. Tongue strength was not predictive of performance on the water screen and the water swallow test was not a good predictor of which participants were observed to display mealtime difficulties. CONCLUSION: Among seniors in long term care, reduced tongue strength is associated with longer meal times, reduced food consumption, and the presence of observable signs of swallowing difficulty. Further exploration of these relationships is warranted.

Malnutrition and Dysphagia in long-term care: a systematic review.

Determining the co-occurrence of malnutrition and dysphagia is important to understand the extent to which swallowing impairment contributes to poor food intake in long-term care (LTC). This review investigated the impact of dysphagia on malnutrition in LTC by synthesizing the results of published literature. Seven electronic databases were used to search for English-language publications reporting malnutrition and dysphagia in LTC facilities from 1946 to 2013. Fourteen studies were eligible for inclusion. Overall, the literature on the co-occurrence of malnutrition and dysphagia in LTC shows a paucity of high-quality evidence. Articles reviewed lacked consistent definitions for both conditions. Methods used to confirm each diagnosis also differed and were of questionable validity. Based on a review of the literature, evidence of the existence of concurrent concerns with respect to malnutrition and dysphagia emerges. The reported frequency of participants in LTC with dysphagia ranges from 7% to 40%, while the percentage of those who were malnourished ranges from 12% to 54%. Due to discrepancies used to describe and measure these conditions, it is difficult to determine the exact prevalence of either condition separately, or in combination. Consequently, the impact of dysphagia on malnutrition must be considered and studied using valid definitions and measures.

Effects of coaching on educators' vocabulary-teaching strategies during shared reading.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether an emergent literacy professional development program enhanced educators' use of vocabulary-teaching strategies during shared reading with small groups of pre-schoolers. METHOD: Thirty-two pre-school educators and small groups of pre-schoolers from their classrooms were randomly assigned to experimental or comparison groups. The 15 educators in the experimental group received four in-service workshops as well as five individualized classroom coaching sessions. The comparison group received only the workshops. Each educator was video-recorded reading a storybook to a small group of pre-schoolers at pre-test and post-test. The videos were transcribed and coded to yield measures of the vocabulary-teaching strategies and children's vocabulary-related talk. RESULT: The findings revealed that the children in the experimental group engaged in significantly more vocabulary-related talk relative to the comparison group. A non-significant trend in the data indicated that educators in the experimental group used more vocabulary-teaching strategies at post-test. The educators' familiarity with children's authors and book titles at pre-test was a significant predictor of their outcomes. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that an emergent literacy professional development program that includes coaching can enhance children's participation in vocabulary-related conversations with their educators.