Quantitative analysis of dysphagia: development of a tongue force measurement system

In order to quantitatively analyze tongue strength, a tongue force measurement system for measuring upward and lateral tongue thrusts has been developed. The force transducer employed consists of a cantilever beam instrumented with strain gages and interfaced to a microcomputer. The system is capable of high-speed data acquisition, data processing, and audio/visual feedback, and it accommodates all test subjects, providing comfort and standardization of test data. The setup is described, and test results for 15 normal subjects and 5 dysphagic patients are presented and discussed. The results verify the reliability of the system and the repeatability of the test data.<>