Effect of Progressive Head Extension Swallowing Exercise on Lingual Strength in the Elderly: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Effects of oropharyngeal exercises on the swallowing mechanism of older adults: A systematic review

PURPOSE

Age-related changes to the swallowing mechanism, or presbyphagia, may put older adults at a higher risk for developing diseases and dysphagia. Maintaining swallowing functions could help prevent frailty and facilitate healthy ageing. This review summarises and appraises the effects of oropharyngeal exercises on the swallowing functions of healthy older adults without dysphagia. It is hypothesised that these exercises will strengthen and improve the structures and functions of the normal ageing swallow.

METHOD

This review was reported according to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Five electronic databases (Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CINAHL) and Google Scholar were searched in June 2021. A rerun was done in January 2023. Study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment were done by two independent raters.

RESULT

A total of 23 studies were reviewed. Meta-analysis was not conducted due to the heterogenous training protocols and outcomes. Majority (n = 21) had fair quality due to incomplete reporting. Exercises targeting oral structures were implemented the most (n = 15), followed by variations of the head lift (n = 4), and effortful swallow exercise (n = 1). Others implemented combined or multiapproach exercise studies (n = 3). Apart from surface electromyography findings, statistically significant improvements in oral and pharyngeal phase swallowing outcomes such as increased lingual isometric and swallowing pressures, bite force, muscle thickness, hyolaryngeal excursion, and upper oesophageal sphincter opening diameter were reported in 95% of the studies (n = 22).

CONCLUSION

Collective evidence suggests that strength training for swallowing-related structures leads to increases in structural strength, endurance, and muscle mass. The effects of exercises on overall swallowing efficiency and safety remain unclear. Results should be interpreted with caution due to methodological limitations. Further research should examine the long-term effects of these exercises in preventing frailty and reducing the burden of dysphagia in older adults.

Validation of the conceptual framework and intervention scope of oral function rehabilitation exercise

OBJECTIVES

This study used a Delphi survey to define the concept of oral function rehabilitation exercise (OFRE) based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) and to categorise intervention domains for community-dwelling older adults.

BACKGROUND

While numerous studies have been conducted to improve oral function through exercise interventions, the conceptual definition of oral exercise remains unclear and there is a lack of systematic categorisation of oral exercise intervention domains.

METHODS

A preliminary model was developed based on the key findings of 19 papers selected from a prior systematic review. Its validity was confirmed through a Delphi survey conducted twice with eight expert panellists. Consensus was achieved by evaluating the validity of the OFRE conceptual framework, the accuracy of OFRE conceptual definitions, and intervention domains.

RESULTS

Through expert consensus, an ICF-based OFRE conceptual framework was developed that includes 21 factors that affect the oral health status of the older adults. The OFRE intervention domain for improving the health status consisted of oral function rehabilitation warm-up exercise, masticatory function exercise, swallowing function exercise, articulatory function exercise, salivary function exercise, and oral function rehabilitation cool-down exercise, and 11 specific intervention methods were derived.

CONCLUSIONS

The OFRE intervention can be used for planning and applying successful interventions to improve oral function and life function of older adults.

Study protocol of the OrkA project: orofacial and communicative activation in old age- a cluster randomized prevention study in long-term care facilities in Lower Saxony, Germany

BACKGROUND

The process of aging involves numerous changes in the body, influencing physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Age-related changes and degradation can impact various functions of the swallowing process and lead to delayed word retrieval. Individuals with limited linguistic stimulation may experience a more rapid decline in cognitive performance. Thus, this project explores a preventive training program targeting swallowing and linguistic-communicative skills, aimed at preserving the social participation of older individuals residing in nursing homes.

METHODS

A preventive intervention program, combining orofaciopharyngeal and linguistic-communicative components, will be offered twice weekly over 12 weeks in long-term care facilities in the greater Hanover area. The program will aim at: (a) activating sensitive and motor skills in the orofaciopharyngeal area to counter age-related swallowing disorders, and (b) enhancing communicative abilities through semantic-lexical activation. A cluster randomized controlled trial will be conducted to investigate whether the intervention program improves swallowing skills in older adults. Additionally, a secondary analysis will explore the impact on language skills and social participation, as well as program acceptance.

DISCUSSION

The results will provide valuable insight into the effectiveness of preventive measures addressing swallowing and speech issues in older individuals.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The trial was registered with DRKS (German register for clinical trials) in June 2023 (study ID: DRKS00031594) and the WHO International Clinical Trail Registry Platform (secondary register).

Quantitative Measurement of Swallowing Performance Using Iowa Oral Performance Instrument: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Swallowing is a complex but stereotyped motor activity aimed at serving two vital purposes: alimentary function and the protection of upper airways. Therefore, any impairment of the swallowing act can represent a significant clinical and personal problem that needs an accurate diagnosis by means of reliable and non-invasive techniques. Thus, a systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to investigate the reliability of the Iowa Oral Pressure Instrument (IOPI) in distinguishing healthy controls (HC) from patients affected by swallowing disorders or pathologies and conditions that imply dysphagia. A comprehensive search was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Lilacs databases. Overall, 271 articles were identified and, after a three-step screening, 33 case-control and interventional studies reporting IOPI measurements were included. The methodological quality of the retrieved studies resulted in being at a low risk of bias. The meta-analysis on case-control studies showed that maximum tongue pressure (MIP) values were always higher in HC than in patients, with an overall effect of the MIP difference of 18.2 KPa (17.7–18.7 KPa CI). This result was also confirmed when the sample was split into adults and children, although the MIP difference between HC and patients was greater in children than in adults (21.0 vs. 15.4 KPa in the MIP mean difference overall effect, respectively). Tongue endurance (TE) showed conflicting results among studies, with an overall effect among studies near zero (0.7 s, 0.2–1.1 s CI) and a slight tendency toward higher TE values in HC than in patients. Among the intervention studies, MIP values were higher after treatment than before, with a better outcome after the experimental tongue training exercise than traditional treatments (the MIP mean difference overall effect was 10.8 and 2.3 KPa, respectively). In conclusion, MIP values can be considered as a reliable measure of swallowing function in adults and in children, with a more marked MIP difference between HC and patients for the children population. MIP measures in patients are also able to detect the best outcome on the tongue function after the training exercise compared to traditional training.