Maggie-Lee Huckabee, Theresa McIntosh, Laura Fuller, Morgan Curry, Paige Thomas, Margaret Walshe, Ellen McCague, Irene Battel, Dalia Nogueira, Ulrike Frank, Lenie van den Engel-Hoek, Oshrat Sella-Weiss
- BackgroundClinical swallowing assessment is largely limited to qualitative assessment of behavioural observations. There are limited quantitative data that can be compared with a healthy population for identification of impairment. The Test of Masticating and Swallowing Solids (TOMASS) was developed as a quantitative assessment of solid bolus ingestion. AimsThis research programme investigated test development indices and established normative data for the TOMASS to support translation to clinical dysphagia assessment. Conclusions & ImplicationsThe TOMASS is presented as a valid, reliable and broadly normed clinical assessment of solid bolus ingestion. Clinical application may help identify dysphagic patients at bedside and provide a non-invasive, but sensitive, measure of functional change in swallowing.