A influência da função mastigatória na deglutição orofaríngea em idosos saudáveis

Degree of swallowing impairment in the elderly: clinical and instrumental assessment

OBJECTIVE

To classifying the degree of swallowing impairment in the elderly, comparing clinical and instrumental assessment.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study with quantitative and qualitative analysis of clinical and instrumental assessment of 37 elderly, aged 60-82 years, of both genders without neurological, oncological or systemic diseases, participated in this study. All participants were submitted to clinical evaluation and their results compared through fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing considering liquid, pudding and solid food consistencies. Data were analyzed descriptively and statistically using the analysis of variance test (two-way ANOVA) and Tukey's post hoc test (p <  0.05).

RESULTS

In the clinical evaluation there was a higher occurrence of moderate swallowing impairment, followed by functional swallowing, while in fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing the severity of the impairment was greater for moderate and mild degrees. There was no statistical difference between the clinical and instrumental evaluation methods. However, there was a significant interaction between the variables, with a difference for liquid consistency in the instrumental evaluation method.

CONCLUSION

Healthy elderly have different degree of swallowing impairment according to food consistency. The clinical assessment using a scale that considers the physiological changes of the elderly, presented results similar to those found in the instrumental examination.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2

Speech Language Pathology interventions in the areas of breathing, chewing, swallowing and speaking: a scoping review

There are several types of approaches that can be used to achieve therapeutic goals in disorders related to the functions of mastication, swallowing, speech, and breathing. However, the literature lacks evidence to support their use in speech-language clinical practice. The objective of this review was to map the syntheses of evidence on speech-language pathology intervention in the areas of breathing, mastication, swallowing and speech in adults and the elderly. Only studies classified by their authors as a systematic review, studies that addressed therapy for orofacial disorders in individuals over 18 years of age were included. The procedures performed included: electronic and manual search; selection of studies; data extraction; evaluation of the quality of studies and data analysis. It was possible to observe different types of interventions mainly aimed at the swallowing function, ranging from traditional therapy to the use of devices. However, due to the limitations of the studies, the data must be interpreted with caution.

Screening for masticatory disorders in older adults (SMDOA): An epidemiological tool

PURPOSE

Masticatory changes in the older adult population may cause nutritional impairment, so epidemiological studies are important to allow specific public health interventions. Thus, this study aims at constructing and validating an instrument for screening for masticatory disorders in older adults (SMDOA).

METHODS

Validation study. First step: validity evidence based on test content. Defining the construct and elaborating the questions by a panel of experts and evaluating the representativeness and relevance of the items in relation to the construct by a committee of 28 experts. Analysis was performed through the Content Validity Index for Items (CVI-I) and the Content Validity Index (CVI). Second stage: validity evidence based on response processes. The questionnaire was applied to 40 older adults (≥60 years) using the cognitive interview strategy. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the responses was carried out. Third stage: validity evidence based on the internal structure. The instrument was applied to 295 older adult patients and a confirmatory factorial analysis was performed to fit the model.

RESULTS

The first version of SMDOA consisted of 16 issues related to chewing. The CVI and CVI-I were satisfactory, and only one question was excluded. The instrument with 15 questions was well evaluated by the older adults, only requiring minor adjustments to the morphosyntax. After the confirmatory factorial analysis, adjustments were made in its internal structure resulting in the 9-question model in two factors regarding function and masticatory perception.

CONCLUSIONS

The SMDOA presented good evidence of validity in its content, response processes and internal structure.

Influence of dental factors on oropharyngeal dysphagia among recipients of long-term care

OBJECTIVE

The study evaluated the association of the sociodemographic, behavioural variables and the oral conditions with the presence of oropharyngeal dysphagia in long-term care older persons.

BACKGROUND

Due to the influence of ageing, swallowing may be altered both in people with natural teeth and in those who have dentures or tooth loss.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study evaluated 115 individuals older than 60 years, living in long-term care institutions of the State of Rio Grande do Sul in 2016. The diagnosis of dysphagia happen using a clinical speech evaluation, based on the research of signals and symptoms of alterations during deglutition, and on an oral sensory-motor evaluation. The dental clinical evaluation examined the oral cavity, teeth and dental prostheses, including a Xerostomia assessment. Poisson Regressions with robust variance was calculated were used to estimate crude and adjusted Prevalence Ratios(PR) and their IC95%.

RESULTS

The sample was mostly comprised of older women (67.0%), with more than 81 years of age (44.3%) and edentulous (54.3%). Diagnosis of oropharyngeal dysphagia was verified in 60.9% of the participants. In the final model, older persons who presented no pair (PR=1.52(CI95%=1.02-2.40)) had a highest prevalence of oropharyngeal dysphagia, when compared to older persons who presented 8 to 14 mixed pairs, as well as those older persons who had more complaints related to symptoms of Xerostomia (PR=2.86(CI95% 1.58-5.18)).

CONCLUSION

Institutionalised older persons with a poor oral health condition are associated with a higher prevalence of oropharyngeal dysphagia, as well as with the presence of Xerostomia.