Design and development of portable biofeedback systems for use in oral dysphagia rehabilitation

The management of dysphagia presents a major problem in the comprehensive rehabilitation of stroke and head injury patients. Dysphagia is a disorder of the swallowing process. Oral dysphagia refers to abnormalities in the oral phase of the swallowing mechanism. The oral phase of the swallowing mechanism is important for the proper triggering of the swallowing reflex. Current techniques in oral dysphagia rehabilitation include oro-motor exercises using tongue depressors and mouth-care swabs. There is thus a need for a better therapeutic method for oral dysphagia. The purpose of this paper is to report the development of audio-visual biofeedback devices for treating oral dysphagia. Portable biofeedback devices rendering feedback of biomechanical parameters characterizing the oral phase were developed and evaluated in preliminary clinical trials. A patient progress index (PPI) was developed and used to quantify the overall patient progress. The devices demonstrated good patient acceptability.