The examination of oral perception of volume and aspiration risk in the early period after stroke

The aim of this study is to evaluate the oral volume perception and aspiration risk of individuals with stroke and to determine the relationship between oral volume perception and aspiration risk. A total of 32 individuals with a mean age of 69.72±12.36 years were included in the study. The Gugging Swallowing Screening Test was used to determine the risk of aspiration of individuals and to divide them into groups with aspiration risk and no aspiration risk. Various tests such as Oral Perception of Liquid Volume Changes to determine the level of oral perception, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale to determine the level of neurological deficit and Barthel Index to determine their functional status were used. There was a significant difference between the groups with and without aspiration risk in terms of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores, Barthel Index scores (p<0.05) and Oral Perception of Liquid Volume Changes scores (p<0.001). As a result of Spearman's Correlation Analysis, a moderate negative correlation was found between aspiration risk and the Oral Perception of Liquid Volume Changes scores (r:-0,639; p<0.001). A relation was found between aspiration risk and oral perception. This study revealed that subjects in the group at risk of aspiration have low oral perception abilities. It was concluded that subjects in this group are unreliable to determine the maximum volume of fluid to be consumed without help. We suggest adding the evaluations and training of oral perception of bolus volume in rehabilitation of patients in this group.