Efficacy and Safety of Oropharyngeal Muscle Strength Training on Poststroke Oropharyngeal Dysphagia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
BMJ Open
Gao, M., Xu, L., et al. (2023).
BMJ Open, 13(9), e072638.
This systematic review and meta-analysis explores the impact of oropharyngeal muscle strength training exercises in adult patients with stroke-associated oropharyngeal dysphagia.
None declared
From database inception to December 11, 2022
Randomized controlled study
7
Findings demonstrate that oropharyngeal muscle strength training was associated with reduced Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) scores (MD= -0.98, 95% CI= -1.34 to -0.62, p< 0.0001), increased Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) scores (MD= 1.04, 95% CI= 0.55 to 1.54, p< 0.0001), and increased vertical displacement of the hyoid bone (MD= 0.20, 95% CI= 0.01 to 0.38, p= 0.04) when compared to non-exercise based dysphagia therapy (e.g., range of motion, massage, thermal tactile stimulation, swallowing maneuvers, compensatory training). This conclusion was supported by a moderate quality of evidence. Limitations to this review include a small number of studies, generally small sample sizes, and unknown potential for selection and detection bias.
