Abstract
It has recently been shown that the aging population is refractory to the maintenance of swallowing function, which can seriously affect quality of life. Singing and vocal training contribute to mastication, swallowing and respiratory function. Previous studies have shown that singers have better vocal cord health. No consensus has been reached as to how vocal training affects swallowing ability. Our study was designed to establish evidence that singers are statistically superior at inducing the swallowing reflex. To test our hypothesis, we undertook a clinical trial on 55 singers and 141 non-singers (mean age: 60.1 ± 11.7 years). This cross-sectional study with propensity score matching resulted in significant differences in a repetitive saliva swallowing test among singers: 7.1 ± 2.4, n = 53 vs. non-singers: 5.9 ± 1.9, n = 53, p < 0.05. We conclude that singing can serve an important role in stabilizing the impact of voluntary swallowing on speech.
Highlights
Pneumonia, including aspiration pneumonia, is a common cause of death in the elderly population [1,2]
In this study we showed that singing experience affected repetitive saliva swallowing test (RSST) score and that singers are statistically superior in their inducibility of the swallowing reflex
Though the results were higher than the screening value of RSST, similar values to previous studies suggested that they were in the normal range of the values of healthy subjects
Summary
Pneumonia, including aspiration pneumonia, is a common cause of death in the elderly population [1,2]. Video fluoroscopy and endoscopy, which are clinically performed to obtain accurate findings, are considered the gold standards for evaluating dysphagia. As these invasive diagnostic techniques cannot be used frequently, screening tests are often performed and noninvasive methods have been developed [3,4,5]. One of widely used screening tests for swallowing evaluation is the repetitive saliva swallowing test (RSST). It counts the swallowing reflex and evaluates its inducibility. RSST is a safer and easier way to screen for dysphagia, which can evaluate voluntary swallowing. The larynx elevates due to the contraction of several muscles to protect the airway against aspiration
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