Researchers have revealed that the incidence of aspiration pneumonia (AP) increases following a disaster, not only due to the disaster itself but also due to environmental factors, which will propose dysphagia rehabilitation targets. We aimed to delineate the current status of dysphagia rehabilitation in disasters.

English literature was searched via scientific databases, representative journal homepages, trial registries, and gray literature.

A total of 242 articles were reviewed in full text, and 31 were included in this review. Most hazards were earthquakes (19/31), and most reports originated from Japan (19/31). The reported issues were summarized according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) codes. Twenty-seven codes related to areas such as Swallowing, Caring for teeth, and Food were the most frequently reported. In addition, three additional items not formally listed in the ICF were considered: nutrition, oral hygiene, and denture.

The mechanisms of emergency lifestyle-related aspiration pneumonia were identified, and approaches to prevent AP were proposed. We further discuss how to promote dysphagia rehabilitation in disasters. Nevertheless, multidisciplinary coordination is important, and more involvement of rehabilitation specialists is required.