Is there Optimal Behavioral Treatment Intensity for Dysphagia?

Purpose: Determining optimal intensity of behavioral treatment for dysphagia has been one of the most debated topics.The purpose of the current study was to systematically review the studies that offered evidence for behavioral treatment intensity for dysphagia. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in six scientific databases using 16 different combinations of keywords, in ddition to manually searching different journals for relevant articles. A total of 50,192 articles were obtained from the initial searches. After rigorous screening, only five articles met the inclusion criteria. All studies were evaluated for their methodological quality, evidence level, and for pertinent information regarding treatment intensity. Results: The results of the systematic review revealed that only one study presented sufficient information that allowed the authors to determine cumulative treatment intensity for dysphagia. The research designs employed by the studies ranged from randomized-controlled design to non-experimental retrospective design. Appraisal of the methodological quality revealed that only two articles had moderate internal validity, and the remaining articles demonstrated poor internal validity. Conclusion: The findings suggest that there is limited evidence regarding optimal behavioral treatment intensity for dysphagia, and there is a need for well-controlled group design studies to expand on this line of research.