Abstract:
The research in this thesis aimed to help adult patients suffering from Dysphagia by establishing
what relationships, if any, there were, between the pH value of a liquid and by how quickly or
how much it thickened. One area of study where more research could be helpful was that of pH
values (acidity) as it could help Speech Language Pathologists better recommend what liquids
dysphagia patients thicken and consume. To determine possible relationships, the viscosities of
thickened liquids with low pH values were compared against the viscosities of thickened liquids
with high pH values. The viscosities of liquids with higher pH values from both less acidic
liquids and liquids that had calcium carbonate added to them were compared against the
viscosities of liquids with lower pH values. After comparisons were done, the viscosities of the
thickened liquids were determined to increase, decrease, stay the same or yield inconsistent
results as the pH values increased. These results were then generalized to determine if there were
any relationships between acidity and the viscosity of thickened liquids and, if so, what those
relationships were.
