ABSTRACT
Oropharyngeal dysphagia is a swallowing disorder that results in difficulties with the passage of food, liquids, and secretions from the mouth to the esophagus. Symptoms of dysphagia include drooling, difficulty chewing, manipulating the bolus, and propelling it to the posterior aspect of the oral cavity, coughing before, during, or after swallowing, and moving the bolus through the pharynx. The term oropharyngeal dysphagia is sometimes used interchangeably with deglutition disorder and dysphagia. Dysphagia may result in an unsafe swallow—which can result in aspiration, choking due to an inability to clear the food through the pharynx—or an inefficient swallow that can lead to malnutrition and dehydration. Presbyphagia refers to normal age-related changes that occur in the swallowing mechanism and may place an older adult at risk for dysphagia. As dysphagia impacts several aspects of an older adult’s health, the assessment of the swallowing function needs to be comprehensive.
