Explain the Phases of swallowing process in Dysphagia?
i) Oral Phase: In this, food is placed in the mouth, mixed with saliva, chewed if required and formed into a bolus by the tongue. The tongue pushes the food to the rear of the oral cavity against the hard and soft palate.
ii) Pharyngeal Phase: This is initiated when the bolus is propelled into the oesophagus. The soft palate gets raised at this stage to close off the nasopharynx to prevent nasopharyngeal regurgitation.
iii) Oesophageal Phase: This is the final phase in which the bolus continues through the oesophagus into the stomach. This phase is involuntary.