Interventions for Patients With Alzheimer's Disease and Dysphagia

An air-filled pressure bulb is placed on the surface of the oral tongue and pressed against the hard palate during exercise. Each patient is given a target pressure value to aim for as determined by the baseline one repetition maximum (1RM) lingual pressures. During week one of the regimen, the target value of each repetition will be 60% of the 1RM. For the remaining seven weeks, the target value will be increased to 80% of the 1RM. At weeks three, five, and seven, the baseline will be re-measured by phone and the 80% target value re-calculated.

Participants will be instructed to apply an amount equivalent to about 1 cm of Biotene® Oral Balance Gel with a finger to the tongue and most intensely affected areas of the oral cavity three times a day after brushing their teeth for 8 weeks.