Objective: Lack of standardized methods to capture swallowing impairment has impeded our understanding of the functional results of restorative surgeries. This 3-year study sought empirical evidence for (1) physiologic components rated during a modified barium swallowing evaluation; (2) standard convention of grouping functional components into phases (ie, oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal); (3) relationships between components and redundancy of components; (4) scoring reliability; (5) the sensitivity of components to aspiration; and (6) sensitivity to health status and quality of life.