Thickener use has historically been widely considered to be a benign intervention for dysphagia. In fact, many SLPs believed the benefits of thickener use outweighed the risk of aspiration. However, as research in this area has grown, we as SLPs must re-evaluate our clinical practice accordingly. In certain areas of dysphagia practice, discrepancies exist between SLP beliefs, the current literature, and self-reported clinical practice.

This handout briefly summarizes why it is not recommended to use thickener products without first obtaining an instrumental swallow study (either VFSS/MBSS or FEES). It is the policy of Dysphagia Outreach Project that we do not provide thickener products to recipients without a swallow study being submitted.

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