Apparatuses and methods for diagnosing swallowing dysfunction

A method of treating a patient with a swallowing dysfunction, the method comprising:

• measuring a swallowing profile of the patient using a sensor, the sensor comprising a flexible substrate, and at least one printed electronic selected from the group consisting of a microcontroller, at least one sensor, an antenna, and combinations thereof, wherein the flexible substrate and at least one printed electronic are encased in a plastic foil;
• sending a sensor output to a device having a processor and a swallowing profile database, wherein the swallowing profile database comprises data relating to both healthy patients and patients having swallowing dysfunctions, wherein the data relating to healthy patients is recorded using two methods:
• i) recording truly healthy data during an initial measurement using a videofloroscope;
• and ii) recording composite healthy data during a second measurement, the composite healthy data reflecting a first function of a neck of the patient, the neck having an apparent dysfunction of the patient and a second function of a lip seal of the patient that is functioning as per a normal individual;
• comparing the sensor output with the data of the swallowing profile database relating to both healthy patients and patients having swallowing dysfunctions, linking the sensor output to an underlying swallowing dysfunction without linking the sensor output to an underlying disease, to obtain a first signal output indicative of a range of a swallowing dysfunction;
• comparing the first signal output to a recommended therapy database to obtain a second signal output representative of a therapy recommendation comprising at least two of:
• physical therapy, dietary modification, oral health improvement, electrical stimulation, biofeedback, and pharmacological treatment;
• and
• treating the patient in accordance with the second signal output by administering an effective amount of the therapy recommendation to the patient.