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Introduction Although neck auscultation is a subjective diagnostic method that can identify the sounds and mechanical disruptions of swallowing, the acoustic analysis provides greater objectivity as it makes these sounds visible and the physiology of swallowing can clearly be seen.
Objective To determine the time and the sounds of swallowing in people 20–50 years of age in the city of Bucaramanga, Colombia.
Materials and methods A quantitative descriptive study that included the swallowing process of 306 participants. These were recorded by acoustic analysis using a computer application and neck auscultation to determine the sounds and time whilst food passed from the mouth to the esophagus.
Results Of the 306 participants, 50.9% were between 20 and 31 years, and 57.5% were women between 20 and 50 years. The mean swallowing time in this study was .387s (compared to a mean of .5s in studies in other countries), with 16.3% taking between 0225 and 0281s.
Conclusions Identifying the sounds of swallowing using acoustic analysis improves the therapeutic processes performed by audiologists in patients with dysphagia.
