China has stepped into an aging society. With the increase of age and recession of physiological function, health problems are becoming a big challenge for elderlies, especially, eating and swallowing problem. Chewing and swallowing disorders may cause nutrient deficiency even causing choking. Main objectives of the investigation were to (1) establish feasible techniques for assessing major oral physiological properties of elderly patients; (2) establish possible correlations between those oral physiological properties and their influences on the eating and swallowing capability of elderly patients; and (3) establish reliable and objective methods for texture standardization of those elderly patients.

The Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI®, Medical LLC Redmond, Washington, USA) and in-house made device for biting force for measuring main oral physiological properties. Another part of the experiment was eating and swallowing capability. Water swallow test and Volume-viscosity swallow test (V-VST) were used for testing elderly patients’ swallowing capability. And the samples which involved in V-VST test is different concentration of 0.54%, 1.16%, 2.36% prepared according to IDDSI Standardization. The participants we recruited were the elderly who had different levels of dysphagia problem. First stage patient tests have been completed at Shanghai Huadong hospital. Second part investigation is planned for October/November. This project is sponsored by Chinese Society of Nutrition.