Estudio clínico fonoaudiológico de las funciones de deglución y masticación en las personas mayores

We describe the clinical evaluation of deglutition and chewing functions in 28 elderly individuals without previous neurological orneuromuscular disorders, through a protocol that analyses oral health, type of feeding, and aspects of static function (resting tongueposition) and the dynamics of the phonoarticulatory organs, both when the oral cavity is empty -as in the act of chewing- and in the oral phase of deglutition. Participants were found to have poor oral health and difficulty in ingesting solid food related to tooth loss, as well as an associated weakness of the lingual and facial musculature. We also observed a normally low resting tongue position and anterior support of the tongue during deglutition.