Abstract

Considerable research has been conducted on measuring maximum tongue pressure, which is an index of tongue muscle strength that includes the relationship between tongue strength and swallowing function. Tongue pressure is the force with which the tongue presses a bolus of food against the palate and sends it into the pharynx. A low tongue pressure makes the aspiration of food more likely. In this study, we investigated the age-dependence of human swallowing function, as well as the swallowing function of female high school students in different courses, one in physical education and one in health and nursing.