Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop an objective evaluation method for swallowing Methods: Ten healthy, fully dentate males were selected as subjects. To observe tongue movements when swallowing the test food, general-purpose ultra-sound diagnostic equipment was used with a 5 MHz electronic convex sector scanning probe. To record swallowing sounds, a heart sound microphone was connected to the ultra-sound diagnostic equipment through a physiologic signal unit. The tongue movements and swallowing sounds were simultaneously recorded on recording paper and analyzed by plotting five inflection points (T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5) of the movement curve and two beginning points of swallowing sounds (S1 and S2) using a digitizer. Subjects were directed to swallow the test food in 3 different bodily positions; a sitting in an upright position in the dental chair, reclining at a 30°angle in the dental chair, a complete reclining position in the dental chair. Also, X-ray images by videofluorography were recorded simultaneously with echo images and swallowing sounds in five healthy, fully dentate males in an upright position. Results: There was a statistically significant correlation between T4 and S1, T4 and S2 (p<0.001), respectively. S1 were always ahead of T4. From the VF-image, S1 coincided with the point of time that the epiglottis was just going to shut, and T4 coincided with the point of time that the tail of test food has just reached the esophagus. In the complete reclining position, time duration from the starting point of swallowing to T3, T4, S1 and S2 were significantly extended (p<0.05), and time duration from T3 to T4 was also significantly extended (p<0.05). There was a statistically (p<0.05) significantly correlation between T4 and S1.

Conclusion: It was suggested that our evaluation method could be useful for the diagnosis of swallowing.

Back to the Prosthodontics Research Program
Back to the IADR/AADR/CADR 82nd General Session (March 10-13, 2004)

Top Level Search