# Quantitative temporal analysis of posterior oral spillage in a dual-task for individuals with Parkinson’s disease

## TL;DR

This study examines how Parkinson’s disease affects swallowing time when performing single and dual tasks with different food consistencies.

## Contribution

The study introduces a quantitative temporal analysis of posterior oral spillage in dual-task swallowing for Parkinson’s patients.

## Key findings

- POS time was significantly longer in dual-task deglutition for 5 mL of extremely thick consistency.
- Significant differences in POS time were observed only for consistency level 4 in dual-task conditions.
- Findings suggest cognitive-motor dual tasks impact swallowing in Parkinson’s disease patients.

## Abstract

To compare the POS time in individuals diagnosed with PD in the conditions of isolated deglutition (ID) and dual-task deglutition (DD) for different consistencies and volumes.

A total of 576 swallows edited from fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) of 16 individuals, both sexes, at different PD stages based on the Hoehn & Yahr (H&Y) modified scale, aged 64 to 85 years (mean ± standard deviation: 72.4 ± 6). They underwent FEES with isolated deglutition (ID) and dual-task deglutition (DD) to analyze the POS time in swallowing. An otorhinolaryngologist performed the FEES, offering standardized consistencies at levels 0 – thin; 2 – mildly thick; and 4 – extremely thick, based on the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI). All food consistencies were dyed with blue artificial food coloring and offered 5 mL and 10 mL in disposable spoons. After adequate training, the quantitative temporal POS analysis for both deglutition conditions was performed using specific software. Data was analyzed through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) with a significance level of 0.05 (5%). The Mann-Whitney test compared the ID and DD POS time.

The POS time was statistically significantly different for 5 mL of consistency level 4 (ID = 912 ms and DD = 2.044 ms) (p-value = 0.007).

The results indicated that there was significant difference in the POS time between ID and DD only at 5 mL of consistency level 4 for individuals with PD at performing the cognitive-motor dual-task proposed.