Oral Functions Are Associated with Muscle Strength and Physical Performance in Old-Old Japanese

Grip strength and walking speed are considered to be important indicators of physical frailty. However, no study has contemporaneously examined any association of multiple oral functions with grip strength and walking speed. The purpose of this study was to examine which oral functions are associated with muscle strength (grip strength), physical performance (walking speed) or both. The study participants were 511 community-dwelling people (254 men and 257 women) aged 77–81 years old. Six oral functions—oral wetness, occlusal force, tongue-lip motor function, tongue pressure, masticatory performance and swallowing function—were measured. Grip strength and walking speed were also measured. A partial correlation analysis, adjusted for gender, showed that occlusal force, tongue-lip motor function, masticatory performance and swallowing function were significantly associated with both grip strength and walking speed. In addition, tongue pressure was significantly associated with grip strength. A general linear model showed that tongue pressure and occlusal force were significantly associated with grip strength. Swallowing function and tongue-lip motor function were significantly associated with walking speed. It is suggested that there are different oral function measures for muscle strength and physical performance, and these oral function measures could be a useful proxy for physical frailty.

HUBUNGAN DISFAGIA DENGAN MALNUTRISI PADA LANJUT USIA : STUDI LITERATUR

Background: Dysphagia can lead to a decrease in nutritional status and increased risk of malnutrition in the elderly. The incidence of dysphagia often undetected, especially among the elderly in the community, causes the prevalence of the elderly at risk of dysphagia in the elderly to increase.Objective: The aims of this literature study was to review the latest research related to dysphagia with malnutriton in the elderly. Method: The search for 2011 – 2021 English-language articles was carried out on the PubMed, SpringerLink, ScienceDirect, DOAJ, and ResearchGate databases using the keyword Dysphagia AND (Nutritional Status OR Malnutrition) AND Elderly and it was found that 16 articles were selected based on inclusion criteria, including articles with elderly subjects aged ≥65 years in the community, a minimum sample of 50 respondents, a cross sectional and prospective cohort study, analyzed the relationship between variables, and data collection using valid instruments by a trained people.Result: Dysphagia independently had a significant relationship with nutritional status in elderly, could reduce oral food intake and lead to decrease in nutritional status due to nutrient deficiency. It was known that differences in instruments, characteristics and number of samples as well as the timing of malnutrition can affect the relationship between variables. Other factors such as teeth condition, body composition and tongue pressure might also be associated with dysphagia and malnutrition. Conclusion: The existence of a relationship between the two variables found in most of the studies indicates that dysphagia is an important factor that can lead to malnutrition in elderlyKeywords: Elderly; Dysphagia; Malnutrition

Relationship Between Tongue Strength and Dysphagia Symptoms in Japanese Older Adults in Need of Care

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to measure the tongue pressure of older adults who require nursing care and to clarify the relationship between dysphagia symptoms and tongue strength. Methods: The participants were Japanese older adults (age: ≥ 65 years) in need of care who were able to communicate with others and agreed to participate in the study. Tongue pressure was measured using TPM-01, a tongue pressure measuring instrument. The Dysphagia Risk Assessment for Community-Dwelling Elderly was used to assess dysphagia. The association between tongue pressure and 12 dysphagia symptoms was analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance. Results: The average tongue pressure was 23.22 ± 9.9 kPa. Tongue pressure was significantly associated with occasional food spillage from the mouth and sputum formation in the throat during meals or after eating or drinking (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Decreased tongue strength should be suspected in older adults with food spillage from the mouth or sputum formation in the throat during meals.

Effect of Oral Health Education Using a Mobile App (OHEMA) on the Oral Health and Swallowing-Related Quality of Life in Community-Based Integrated Care of the Elderly: A Randomized Clinical Trial

This study investigated the effect of oral health education using a mobile app (OHEMA) on the oral health and swallowing-related quality of life (SWAL-QoL) of the elderly population in a community-based integrated care project (CICP). Forty elderly individuals in the CICP were randomized into intervention and control groups. OHEMA provided information on customized oral health care management, oral exercises, and intraoral and extraoral massage methods for 50 min/session, once a week, for 6 weeks. Pre- and post-intervention surveys assessed the unstimulated salivary flow rate, subjective oral dryness, tongue pressure, and SWAL-QoL, which were analyzed using ANCOVA and repeated measures ANOVA. In the intervention group, tongue pressure increased significantly from pre- (17.75) to post-intervention (27.24) (p < 0.001), and subjective oral dryness decreased from pre- (30.75) to post-intervention (18.50). The unstimulated salivary flow rate had a higher mean score in the intervention group (7.19) than in the control group (5.04) (p < 0.001). The SWAL-QoL significantly improved from pre- (152.10) to post-intervention (171.50) in the intervention group (p < 0.001) but did not change significantly in the control group (p > 0.05). OHEMA appears to be a useful tool for oral health education for the elderly as it improved the SWAL-QoL, with increased tongue pressure and reduced oral dryness.

Differences in the factors associated with tongue pressure between children with class I and Class II malocclusions

Background The relationship between tongue pressure and masticatory performance during the mixed dentition period in cases of Class II malocclusion has not been clarified. The aim of this study was to determine differences in tongue pressure-related factors, including maxillofacial morphology and masticatory performance, between Class I and Class II malocclusions during the mixed dentition period. Methods A total of 56 children with Class I malocclusion (12 boys, 16 girls) or Class II malocclusion (16 boys, 12 girls) with mixed dentition were included in the present study. Height, body weight, hand grip strength, maximum occlusal force, maximum tongue pressure, masticatory performance, and the number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth were measured in all participants. Their lateral cephalograms were also evaluated. The means of all measurements were compared between Class I and Class II malocclusions. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used to determine associations between maximum tongue pressure and other variables for each type of malocclusion. Results The maximum tongue pressure, hand grip strength, and maximum occlusal force in the Class II malocclusion group were significantly lower than those in the Class I malocclusion group (all, p < 0.05). The maximum tongue pressure was significantly positively correlated with hand grip strength, maximum occlusal force, masticatory performance, and SNB (sella, nasion, B point) angle in the Class I group (all, p < 0.05), and with height, body weight, and labial inclination of the central incisors in the Class II group (all, p < 0.05). Conclusions The maxillofacial morphometric factors associated with tongue pressure were clearly different between cases of Class I and Class II malocclusion with mixed dentition. Masticatory performance and tongue pressure were significantly positively correlated in cases of Class I malocclusion, but not in cases of Class II malocclusion.

Associations between Oral Hypofunction Tests, Age, and Sex

Oral function declines in older individuals due to disease and age-related changes, making them vulnerable to oral and physical frailty. Therefore, it is important to manage the decline in oral function in older outpatients. Oral hypofunction is diagnosed by seven tests related to oral function, oral hygiene, oral moisture, occlusal force, oral diadochokinesis, tongue pressure, masticatory function, and swallowing function. However, sex or age were not factored into the current reference values of these tests. We included subjects attending the dental hospital clinic for maintenance, and recorded and analyzed oral hypofunction and the factors associated with its diagnosis. Of the 134 outpatients (53 males and 81 females, mean age 75.2 ± 11.2 years), 63% were diagnosed with oral hypofunction. Oral hypofunction prevalence increased significantly with age, and significant variations were observed in all tests. Furthermore, oral hygiene and swallowing function were not associated with oral hypofunction diagnosis. All examined factors decreased with increasing age, even after adjusting sex, except for oral hygiene and moisture. Occlusal force and masticatory function were higher in men after adjusting age. This study suggested that older outpatients were likely to be diagnosed with oral hypofunction, and that the test reference value and their selection for oral hypofunction should be reconsidered.

An Exploration of Lung Volume Effects on Swallowing in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Purpose Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) limits respiration, which may negatively impact airway safety during swallowing. It is unknown how differences in lung volume in COPD may alter swallowing physiology. This exploratory study aimed to determine how changes in lung volume impact swallow duration and coordination in persons with stable state COPD compared with older healthy volunteers (OHVs). Method Volunteers ≥ 45 years with COPD (VwCOPDs; n = 9) and OHVs ( n = 10) were prospectively recruited. Group and within-participant differences were examined when swallowing at different respiratory volumes: resting expiratory level (REL), tidal volume (TV), and total lung capacity (TLC). Participants swallowed self-administered 20-ml water boluses by medicine cup. Noncued (NC) water swallows were followed by randomly ordered block swallowing trials at three lung volumes. Estimated lung volume (ELV) and respiratory–swallow patterning were quantified using spirometry and respiratory inductive plethysmography. Manometry measured pharyngeal swallow duration from onset of base of tongue pressure increase to offset of negative pressure in the pharyngoesophageal segment. Results During NC swallows, the VwCOPDs swallowed at lower lung volumes than OHVs ( p = .011) and VwCOPDs tended to inspire after swallows more often than OHVs. Pharyngeal swallow duration did not differ between groups; however, swallow duration significantly decreased as the ELV increased in VwCOPDs ( p = .003). During ELV manipulation, the COPD group inspired after swallowing more frequently at REL than at TLC ( p = .001) and at TV ( p = .002). In conclusion, increasing respiratory lung volume in COPD should improve safety by reducing the frequency of inspiration after a swallow.