Examination of chew swallow in healthy elderly persons: Does the position of the leading edge of the bolus in the pharynx change with increasing age?

TLDR: For solid foods, the position of the leading edge of the bolus during chewing in the pharynx changed with increasing age; this may affect the number of chew cycles and increasing age.

Abstract: Fujii W, Kondo I, Baba M, Saitoh E, Shibata S, Okada S, Onogi K, Mizutani H: Examination of chew swallow in healthy elderly persons: Does the position of the leading edge of the bolus in the pharynx change with increasing age? Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 2011; 2: 48-53 Objective: To determine whether aging infl uences the position of the leading edge of the bolus during chew swallow as identifi ed using videofl uorography (VF). Methods: Subjects comprising 53 healthy individuals (35 men and 18 women; mean age of 54.5 ± 19.3 years and range of 25-89 years), were subdivided into 4 groups: young adults, middle age, sixties, and seventy and over. Subjects underwent lateral VF to evaluate the position of the leading edge of the bolus just prior to the onset of swallowing, with normal chew swallow for solid foods and swallowing on command for liquids. Results: For solid foods, the position of the leading edge of the bolus during chewing changed with increasing age. Mastication time and the number of chew cycles increased with increasing age and were much higher in women than in men for the seventy and over group. Conclusion: For solid foods, the position of the leading edge of the bolus during chewing in the pharynx changed with increasing age; this may affect the number of chew cycles and increasing age. Gender may also affect both of these factors, with women tending to show a deeper transition of the bolus into the pharynx.