Disorders of the oral phase are mainly due to which issue?

• A. An anterior tongue movement
• B. Slippage of food into anterior and lateral sulci
• C. Reduced range of lateral mandibular movement
• D. Difficulty in holding the bolus

Answer: (A)

The key idea is how the oral phase moves the bolus. In the oral phase, the tongue guides and propels the bolus toward the back of the mouth to start the swallow. If the tongue primarily moves the bolus anteriorly, it pushes it forward instead of pushing it toward the pharynx, so the bolus doesn’t transfer efficiently. That disruption of posterior propulsion is exactly what constitutes an oral-phase disorder.

Other issues describe different problems within the mouth but not the main propulsion pattern. Slippage of food into anterior and lateral sulci signals poor containment and bolus control within the mouth, rather than the primary propulsion toward the pharynx. Reduced lateral mandibular movement affects chewing and the oral preparatory stage, not the posterior propulsion of the bolus. Difficulty in holding the bolus reflects containment or tongue control issues, which can be related but do not directly describe the tongue’s action in moving the bolus toward the throat.