Oral Function, Nutrition, and Systemic Interactions in Dysphagia: Assessment, Mechanisms, and Rehabilitation Strategies

Dear Colleagues,

Dysphagia is a multifactorial condition increasingly associated with aging, sarcopenia, malnutrition, chronic diseases, and systemic inflammation. Although significant progress has been made in understanding neurological and pharyngeal mechanisms, the contribution of oral function to the onset and progression of dysphagia remains insufficiently explored. In addition, dysphagia management increasingly requires comprehensive approaches that integrate oral function, nutritional status, systemic health, and interdisciplinary rehabilitation.

Recent research highlights the importance of oral hypofunction, oral frailty, and impaired masticatory performance as potential contributors to nutritional decline and systemic deterioration. Emerging evidence further suggests that complex interactions among oral function, nutritional status, and systemic conditions play a critical role in the pathophysiology and clinical course of dysphagia. The concept of oral function-centered dysphagia rehabilitation emphasizes the oral cavity not only as an entry point of the swallowing process but also as a key therapeutic target in rehabilitation and prevention strategies. At the same time, advances in assessment technologies, clinical management strategies, and interdisciplinary care models are expanding our understanding of dysphagia across various medical and rehabilitation settings.

This Special Issue aims to provide an interdisciplinary platform to explore the oral–systemic–swallowing axis from basic, translational, and clinical perspectives, with a particular focus on underlying mechanisms and evidence-based rehabilitation strategies. We particularly encourage studies addressing the comprehensive assessment, prevention, and management of dysphagia in diverse populations and clinical environments. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Biological and physiological mechanisms linking oral function, nutrition, and swallowing performance;
• Oral hypofunction and sarcopenic dysphagia;
• Interactions between oral health, nutrition, and systemic conditions;
• Objective assessment tools and biomarkers;
• Innovative rehabilitation approaches targeting oral function;
• Preventive, therapeutic, and multidisciplinary management strategies across the lifespan;
• Clinical assessment methods, screening tools, and diagnostic approaches for dysphagia;
• Interdisciplinary and community-based approaches to dysphagia management.

Original research articles, systematic reviews, and high-quality clinical studies are welcome.

By integrating dentistry, medicine, rehabilitation sciences, nutrition, and gerontology, this Special Issue aims to advance the understanding of mechanisms and clinical strategies underlying oral function-centered dysphagia rehabilitation and promote international collaboration in this evolving field.

Prof. Dr. Hiroshige Taniguchi
Dr. Koji Hara
Guest Editors

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• dysphagia
• oral hypofunction
• sarcopenic dysphagia
• malnutrition
• swallowing physiology
• rehabilitation
• oral-systemic interaction
• masticatory function
• dysphagia assessment
• interdisciplinary care