PURPOSE: to investigate the development in oral intake and the incidence of bronchopneumonia (BCP) in hospitalized patients with neurogenic oropharyngeal dysphagia, after speech and language therapy intervention. METHODS: 50 adult patients, divided in three groups: I: 31 post stroke patients; II: seven brain injury patients ; III: 12 dementia patients. Data collected before and after the speech and language therapy intervention were: staff classification in Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS), incidence of BCP, number of therapies and reason for their interruption. RESULTS: significant increase in the levels of FOIS scale and reduction in incidence of pneumonia in the three studied groups. In the post stroke and dementia groups the reason for therapy interruption was hospital discharge, and in the group of brain injury the reason was speech and language therapy discharge. CONCLUSION: the studied patients show increase in food consistency as for oral intake and reductions of BCP after speech and language therapy intervention related to swallowing disorders.
Deglutition Disorders; Speech Therapy; Stroke; Brain Injuries; Dementia
