Swallowing is something that most of us don’t think twice about—until it becomes difficult. But what if counting how many times you can swallow in 30 seconds could help flag potential health concerns?

That’s the idea behind a study that has generated recent public and media attention. Researchers examined how healthy individuals performed on the Repetitive Saliva Swallowing Test (RSST). It’s a quick and simple screening tool used to check for signs of oropharyngeal dysphagia, a disorder that can affect people with neurological conditions, head or neck cancer, and other medical conditions.

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) evaluate patients for—and treat—swallowing disorders. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is sharing the following information to put the study’s findings—and its broader application with the general public—into context.