Abstract
In general, the swallowing mechanism has been divided into three phases: the oral, the pharyngeal and the esophageal. This study was designed to study the minute mechanism of the transitional movements between the oral and the pharyngeal phase during sucking and swallowing through a fine tube. A flexible fiber scope, ultrasonograph and pressure transducers were used. Subjects were two healthy males. Multi-modal data were recorded simultaneously. Making sure that the equipment was functioning and calibrated properly, trial studies were done, such as the phonation of /ka/ sounds, long /S/ sounds, humming and inspiration and expiration before and after the data acquisition. Results were as follows. In the case of sipping juice, the tongue and the soft palate touched just at the beginning of sucking. After that, the tongue and the soft palate were separated. These findings were observed both in the ultrasound image and in the intraoral and pharyngeal pressure analyses. Further studies with more subjects are required for confirmation.
