SWALLOWING DISORDERS (RE MARTIN, SECTION EDITOR) The Need for International Terminology and Definitions for Texture-Modified Foods and Thickened Liquids Used in Dysphagia Management: Foundations of a Global Initiative

The Author(s) 2013. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract Conservative estimates suggest that dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) affects approximately 8 % of the world’s population. Dysphagia is associated with malnu-trition, dehydration, chest infection and potentially death. While promising treatments are being developed to improve function, the modification of food texture and liquid thickness has become a cornerstone of dysphagia management. Foods are chopped, mashed or puréed to compensate for chewing difficulties or fatigue, improve swallowing safety and avoid asphyxiation. Liquids are typically thickened to slow their speed of transit through the oral and pharyngeal phases of swallowing, to avoid aspiration of material into the airway and improve transit to the esophagus. Food texture and liquid modification fo