Dietsch AM, et al. - Given that non-food gustatory stimulation has multiple potential therapeutic benefits for individuals with dysphagia and xerostomia, the researchers tested palatability and saliva flow associated with dissolvable flavored films. For this research, taste strips with real-food flavors dissolved on the tongues of twenty-one persons with dysphagia and/or xerostomia and twenty-one healthy age- and sex-matched adults while sublingual gauze pads absorbed saliva over randomized 3-min trials. Outcomes supported dissolvable taste strips as a tool for providing low-risk taste stimulation in dysphagia and for eliciting an increase in saliva flow that could provide temporary relief from dry mouth symptoms. They observed that the preferred flavors were also the ones that elicited greater saliva production. They reported that taste strips had the potential to be helpful for swallowing-related neural activity, timing, and safety in dysphagia and they could ameliorate complications of xerostomia.