PURPOSE: To analyze published international scientific papers on the physiology of deglutition in oral and pharyngeal phases, considering different food consistencies: nectar, honey, pudding, pasty heterogeneous, semi-solid, and solid. METHODS: This is a qualitative literature reviews. The studies considered were selected on PubMed, using the keywords "Swallowing and consistency", "Swallowing and solid", and "Swallowing and pasty", limiting the search to manuscripts published in English in the period between 2005 and 2010, and conducted with human beings over 18 years old. The methodology involved question formulation, location and selection of studies, and critical analyses of the manuscripts, according to the concepts of the Cochrane Handbook. RESULTS: Two hundred and eleven studies were identified, out of which only 18 allowed access to the full text and were directly related to the theme. CONCLUSION: The studies presented very few similarities between the applied methodologies, especially when considering assessment methods. Overall, the studies were conducted with healthy individuals or with a specific pathology, without presenting the comparison with control cases. The heterogeneity of studies allows the investigation of different swallowing disorders. However, methodological variability makes it difficult to define and generalize the identified swallowing patterns. For this reason, it is not possible to identify parameters on which to base the clinical practice of speech-language therapists, especially when considering the normal or altered physiology of swallowing different food consistencies.
Deglutition, physiology; Deglutition disorders; Food; Feeding behavior; Eating
