Developing a 3D model of the tongue and mouth to assess pressure generation when swallowing

Project Overview

Dysphagia is a swallowing disorder that affects more than 18 million adults and millions of children in the U.S. alone. The disorder, when left untreated can lead to more damaging and sometimes lethal complications including pneumonia, malnutrition, and dehydration. Lingual weakness has been identified as a critical underlying cause of dysphagia. In order to study and treat dysphagia, a phantom mouth model needs to be constructed that can accurately mimic the mechanical properties of the tongue and the palate. The model will be used to compare pressure generation at various points in the oral cavity during swallowing and the impact on bolus flow in varying conditions.

Due to the complexity of this design, multiple semesters of work will be needed. This semester’s design will focus on creating a functioning, mechanical tongue that will have the ability to realistically mimic swallowing motions of an adult, human tongue. The synthetic tongue will need to replicate proper pressure distribution and mechanics.