Effect of Lingual Strength Training on Tongue Pressure and Endurance in Adults with Early Stage Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects approximately one percent of the world’s population, of which, 80 percent develop dysphagia – swallowing impairments – that may lead to aspiration pneumonia, a dominant cause of death (30 to 40 percent) in individuals with PD (Fernandes, SoCal, Schuh, & Rieder, 2015; Macleod, Taylor, & Counsell, 2014; Troche et al., 2014). Because preventive measures and early intervention are critical to preventing aspiration pneumonia, this research study investigated the use of lingual strengthening exercises using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI) as an intervention in early stage PD.