OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The tongue contributes to a safe swallow. It facilitates bolus control during mastication, maintains a bolus in the oral cavity to prevent premature entry of the bolus into the hypopharynx, and helps generate pressure in the hypopharynx during swallowing. This study examined isometric tongue strength and tongue pressure measured during swallowing in healthy young and older adults. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective group design. METHODS: One hundred twenty-six healthy individuals who were recruited as part of a larger study on swallowing participated in this study. Participants were divided into three age groups: 20 to 40 years, 41 to 60 years, and ≥61 years. A KayPentax Digital Swallowing Workstation with an air-filled bulb array was placed on the tongue of each participant (anterior to posterior). Participants completed three isometric tongue presses and three swallows. RESULTS: Repeated measures analyses of variance revealed a significant main effect of age (P = .01) and gender by tongue bulb location interaction (P = .02) for isometric tongue strength. That is, older adults had lower isometric tongue strength than young adults, and females had a greater difference between anterior and posterior tongue strength than males. Tongue strength during swallowing yielded significantly greater anterior versus posterior tongue pressure. CONCLUSIONS: This study comprises one of the largest in terms of number of healthy participants reported to date and confirms previous findings that isometric tongue strength decreases with age. Furthermore, given young and older adults generate similar swallowing pressures, swallowing is a submaximal strength activity, yet older adults have less functional reserve. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.
OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The tongue contributes to a safe swallow. It facilitates bolus control during mastication, maintains a bolus in the oral cavity to prevent premature entry of the bolus into the hypopharynx, and helps generate pressure in the hypopharynx during swallowing. This study examined isometric tongue strength and tongue pressure measured during swallowing in healthy young and older adults. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective group design. METHODS: One hundred twenty-six healthy individuals who were recruited as part of a larger study on swallowing participated in this study. Participants were divided into three age groups: 20 to 40 years, 41 to 60 years, and ≥61 years. A KayPentax Digital Swallowing Workstation with an air-filled bulb array was placed on the tongue of each participant (anterior to posterior). Participants completed three isometric tongue presses and three swallows. RESULTS: Repeated measures analyses of variance revealed a significant main effect of age (P = .01) and gender by tongue bulb location interaction (P = .02) for isometric tongue strength. That is, older adults had lower isometric tongue strength than young adults, and females had a greater difference between anterior and posterior tongue strength than males. Tongue strength during swallowing yielded significantly greater anterior versus posterior tongue pressure. CONCLUSIONS: This study comprises one of the largest in terms of number of healthy participants reported to date and confirms previous findings that isometric tongue strength decreases with age. Furthermore, given young and older adults generate similar swallowing pressures, swallowing is a submaximal strength activity, yet older adults have less functional reserve. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.
Authors: Leen Van den Steen; Olivier Vanderveken; Jan Vanderwegen; Dirk Van Gestel; Jean-François Daisne; Johan Allouche; Laurence Delacroix; Diane Van Rompaey; Sylvie Beauvois; Sophie Cvilic; Steven Mariën; Gauthier Desuter; Jan Baptist Vermorken; Danielle Van den Weyngaert; Pol Specenier; Carl Van Laer; Marc Peeters; Paul Van de Heyning; Gilbert Chantrain; Georges Lawson; Cathy Lazarus; Marc De Bodt; Gwen Van Nuffelen Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2017-06-02 Impact factor: 3.603
Authors: C E McIlduff; M G Martucci; C Shin; K Qi; A K Pacheck; H Gutierrez; M Mortreux; S B Rutkove Journal: Clin Neurophysiol Date: 2020-07-17 Impact factor: 3.708
Authors: Karen B Ng; Esther Guiu Hernandez; Kerstin L C Erfmann; Richard D Jones; Phoebe Macrae; Maggie-Lee Huckabee Journal: Dysphagia Date: 2021-03-09 Impact factor: 3.438
Authors: Wen-Yu Lin; Yu-Mei Chen; Kuen-Ming Wu; Pei-Kai Chen; Yueh-Juen Hwu Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-05-20 Impact factor: 3.390