Dysphagia, defined as difficulty swallowing, is a common symptom negatively impacting millions of adults annually. Estimated prevalence ranges from 14 to 33 percent in those over age 65 to over 70 percent in a nursing home setting. The elderly, those with neurodegenerative diseases, head and neck cancer patients, and those with autoimmune conditions such as Sjögren's syndrome are disproportionately affected. Oropharyngeal dysphagia refers specifically to difficulty in initiating a swallow due to dysfunction at or above the upper esophageal sphincter, and represents a large proportion of dysphagia cases. Current treatments are limited and are often ineffective. Stem cell therapy is a new and novel advancement that may fill a much-needed role in our treatment regimen. Here, we review the current literature regarding stem cell treatments for oropharyngeal dysphagia. Topics discussed include tissue regeneration advancements as a whole and translation of these principles into research surrounding tongue dysfunction, xerostomia, cricopharyngeal dysfunction, and finally an overview of the challenges and future directions for investigation. Although this field of study remains in its early stages, initial promising results show potential for the use of stem cell-based therapies to treat oropharyngeal dysphagia and warrant further research.

中文翻译：

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干细胞治疗口咽性吞咽困难：原理，益处和挑战。

吞咽困难（吞咽困难）是一种常见症状，每年对数百万成年人产生负面影响。估计患病率从65岁以上人群的14％到33％到疗养院环境中的70％以上。老年人，患有神经退行性疾病的患者，头颈癌患者以及患有自身免疫性疾病（如干燥综合征）的患者受到的影响尤其严重。口咽吞咽困难具体是指由于食管上括约肌以上或以上的功能障碍导致难以吞咽，占吞咽困难病例的大部分。目前的治疗方法是有限的，并且通常是无效的。干细胞疗法是一种新颖的进步，可能填补了我们治疗方案中急需的作用。这里，我们回顾了有关干细胞治疗口咽性吞咽困难的最新文献。讨论的主题包括组织再生的整体进展，以及将这些原理转化为围绕舌头功能障碍，口干症，咽喉功能障碍的研究，最后概述了挑战和未来的研究方向。尽管该研究领域仍处于早期阶段，但初步的有希望的结果显示出使用基于干细胞的疗法来治疗口咽性吞咽困难的潜力，值得进一步研究。最后，概述了挑战以及未来的研究方向。尽管该研究领域仍处于早期阶段，但初步的有希望的结果显示出使用基于干细胞的疗法来治疗口咽性吞咽困难的潜力，值得进一步研究。最后，概述了挑战以及未来的研究方向。尽管该研究领域仍处于早期阶段，但初步的有希望的结果显示出使用基于干细胞的疗法来治疗口咽性吞咽困难的潜力，值得进一步研究。