Evaluation of Swallowing Patterns of the Tongue Using Real-time B-mode Sonography

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the swallowing patterns of the tongue using B-mode sonography. A total of 65 patients aged between eight and 35 years were enrolled in the study including 25 controls. The swallowing patterns of the 40 patients were divided into groups of ten normal, 12 inconsistent, and 18 abnormal. Eight patients with a swallowing abnormality had Angle Class I occlusions, two had Class II, and the remaining ten patients had Class III. The majority of abnormal or inconsistent swallowing patterns were found in cases of mandibular prognathism. Quantitative data was not analyzed in this study. The results of this study show that B-mode sonography, being a non-invasive procedure permitting direct visualization of the movements of the tongue in both coronal and sagittal planes, can be used with certainty for diagnosing swallowing abnormalities.