The diagnosis and management of adult neurogenic dysphagia.

Swallowing is a complex sensorimotor process that involves the transport of material from the mouth to the stomach for digestion. It is also involved in protecting the airway and in rejecting noxious ingested substances. Humans swallow on average once every minute and this is supplemented by the production of saliva. When we eat, swallowing increases dramatically (six to eight times a minute).