Effects of various oral exercises on swallowing function in the elderly: A systematic review

Abstract

Oral exercises as a rehabilitation strategy can be performed by the elderly at any time and place without any complications or financial burden. Therefore, an oral exercise that is easy to perform and follow in daily life, can effectively improve the oral health of the elderly. This systematic review was conducted to investigate the effect of oral exercises on swallowing function in the elderly. A comprehensive systematic search was conducted on international electronic databases such as Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, as well as on Iranian electronic databases such as Iranmedex, and Scientific Information Database from the earliest to April 1, 2023. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist was used to assess the quality of randomized control trials and quasi-experimental studies. A total of 728 elderly people participated in fourteen studies. Based on the results of the present systematic review, ten interventions including “lingual resistance exercise with Iowa oral performance instrument”, “exercise for swallowing”, “oral exercise”, “expiratory muscle strength training”, “swallow resistance exercise”, “swallowing exercises”, “oral neuromuscular training”, “simple oral exercise (SOE)”, “tongue strengthening exercise”, “SOE and chewing gum exercise with SOE” improved swallowing function in the elderly. However, the other four interventions including “swallowing exercises”, “resistance training”, “effortful swallowing exercise”, and “oral exercises” did not affect improving swallowing function in the elderly. Health managers and policymakers can improve the swallowing performance of the elderly by implementing training protocols related to oral exercise in addition to routine interventions.