ORAL SENSORY DISCRIMINATION OF FLUID VISCOSITY

This study was designed to investigate the ability of normal young adu lt volunteers to sensorially identify Newtonian fluids of specified vi scosities. Twenty subjects, 10 men and 10 women between the ages of 18 and 29 years participated. Seven stimuli,consisting of combinations o f corn syrup and water, with viscosities ranging from 2 to 2,240 centi poise (cP) were prepared and characterized using a coaxial rotational viscometer. Subjects were presented with two anchor stimuli representi ng the extremes of the range of viscosities as a basis from which the experimental stimuli were judged, The seven experimental stimuli were randomly presented to each subject 10 times. The accuracy with which t he subjects identified the viscosity of the fluid was significant at p < 0.01. The pattern of response was not significantly different acros s subjects nor gender. There were no differences in performance throug hout the duration of the study. The repeat presentation of the anchor points did not significantly affect performance. Further research on o ral perception of viscosity, and the processes that mediate changes in swallow physiology resulting from changes in viscosity is required.