Association Between Undernutrition and the Number of Molar Occlusions in Older Persons Requiring Care in Long-Term Care Insurance Facilities.

: Undernutrition increases the mortality risk in older persons requiring long-term care; further, it is associated with oral functions such as swallowing and chewing. Moreover, occlusion affects oral function and is crucially involved in nutritional intake. The present study aimed to examine the association between the number of molar occlusions and undernutrition according to body mass index (BMI) in older persons requiring long-term care.

Language Development of Japanese Children Raised in Institutional Care.

Background: Nurturing environments have a critical influence on children's language development. It is unclear to what extent nurturing environments in institutions influence children's language development.

Methods: The present study investigated the early lexical development in Japanese children raised in institutional care (IC) (N = 86; 10-33 months; 37 boys) and compared their lexical skills to a large sample of age peers being raised in biological family care (BFC) (N = 1897; 937 boys) using vocabulary checklists.

Present state and perceived future use of teledentistry in long-term care facilities in Japan: A cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Teledentistry could be effective in managing oral health through the provision of oral hygiene instruction and diagnostic services. This study aimed to assess the perception and usefulness of teledentistry in Japanese long-term care facilities.

Methods: We conducted a questionnaire survey to compare related factors of the usefulness of teledentistry and identify issues in its implementation.

Effects of Head and Neck Alignment and Pharyngeal Anatomy on Epiglottic Inversion During Swallowing in Dysphagic Patients.

The effects of head and neck alignment and pharyngeal anatomy on epiglottic inversion remain unclear. This study investigated the factors involved in epiglottic inversion, including head and neck alignment and pharyngeal anatomy, in patients with dysphagia. Patients with a chief complaint of dysphagia and who underwent videofluoroscopic swallowing study at our hospital from January to July 2022 were enrolled.

Association of Hyper-Low-Density Lipoprotein and Hypo-High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterolemia with Low Saliva Flow Rates in Japanese Community-Dwelling Elders.

 The associations of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) with reduced saliva flow rates have not been previously reported.  The present study aimed to assess the association of cholesterolemia with reduced saliva flow rates in community-dwelling elderly subjects.  The present study analyzed 342 participants (170 males and 172 females aged between 78 and 79 years old).

Association between denture use and food form in older adults requiring long-term care: A multicenter cross-sectional study.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine whether denture use contributes to maintaining and improving food forms in long-term care facility (LTCFs) residents.

Methods: In 888 residents of 37 LTCFs in Japan, the following were investigated: nutritional intake status, food forms, age, sex, Barthel index (BI), clinical dementia rating (CDR), number of teeth present, number of occlusal supports, swallowing function, and use of dentures. Among all residents, those who were well-nourished and had ≤9 occlusal supports were analyzed.

Factors Associated with Food Form in Long-Term Care Insurance Facilities.

We examined factors related to dietary intake status (food form) of long-term care facility (LTCF) residents to identify factors related to proper food form choice for older individuals requiring nursing care. We surveyed 888 residents from 37 LTCFs in Japan. We evaluated basic information (age, sex, body mass index [BMI]), food form (swallowing-adjusted diet class), Barthel Index (BI), Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), simply evaluated eating and swallowing functions, the number of present/functional teeth, oral diadochokinesis, repetitive saliva swallowing test (RSST), and modified water swallowing test.

Impact of oral function on regaining oral intake and adjusting diet forms for acute stroke patients.

Background: Outcome prediction for dysphagia recovery is essential for rehabilitation treatment planning. Several studies have reported various predictors for resuming oral feeding after post-stroke dysphagia. However, evidence on oral health and function, a crucial part of feeding, has rarely been reported.

Pneumonia incidence and oral health management by dental hygienists in long-term care facilities: A 1-year prospective multicentre cohort study.

Objective: To investigate the association between oral health management (OHM) by dental hygienists and the occurrence of pneumonia, and determine the effectiveness of OHM in pneumonia prevention.

Background: In long-term care facilities in Japan, the need for professional OHM is increasing with an increase in the number of severely debilitated residents.

Materials And Methods: A 1-year prospective multicentre cohort study was conducted using data from 504 residents (63 men; mean age: 87.

Relationship between weight loss and regular dental management of older adults residing in long-term care facilities: a 1-year multicenter longitudinal study.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the association between home visits by a dentist and regular oral hygiene management by a dental hygienist (regular dental management: RDM) and weight loss among older adults in long-term care facilities.

Methods: A total of 468 older residents from 26 Japanese long-term care facilities participated in two surveys in 2018 and 2019. Participants were divided into two groups based on their diet during the baseline survey (regular diet, n = 256; dysphagia diet, n = 212).

Association between Weight Loss and Food Form in Older Individuals Residing in Long-Term Care Facilities: 1-Year Multicenter Longitudinal Study.

Changing the food form for older adults requiring nursing care from a regular to dysphagia diet is thought to impact their nutritional status. We assessed the association between changes in food form and weight loss over 1 year in older adults. Older adults residing in long-term care facilities in Japan ( = 455) who participated in the baseline (2018) and follow-up (2019) surveys were divided into two groups (regular diet, = 284; dysphagia diet, = 171).

Factors associated with xerostomia in perimenopausal women.

Objectives: Various oral symptoms, including xerostomia and burning mouth syndrome, may occur in menopausal women. These symptoms reduce quality of life (QOL). However, the actual condition of xerostomia after menopause is not clear.

Survey of oral hypofunction in older outpatients at a dental hospital.

Background: Oral hypofunction is defined as the reversible stage preceding oral dysfunction. However, its assessment and management need further examination and consideration.

Objective: The present study aimed to examine the current state of oral hypofunction among outpatients at the university hospital.

Menopausal symptoms are associated with oral sensory complaints in perimenopausal women: an observational study.

Background: Perimenopausal women experience a wide variety of systemic symptoms: hot flashes, sweating, mental health concerns and various oral sensory complaints (OSC). OSC in perimenopausal women include xerostomia, taste disturbance and burning mouth. However, the factors associated with these OSC have not been identified.

Changes of bolus properties and the triggering of swallowing in healthy humans.

There is wide variation in chewing behaviours, even among healthy humans. Further, the way in which humans determine swallowing initiation when chewing solid foods remains unclear. The current study sought to investigate how the bolus properties change over time during chewing, and to clarify which factors affect chewing and swallowing behaviours, including swallowing initiation, in healthy humans.

Age-related changes in functional adaptation to bolus characteristics during chewing.

We investigated how the physical properties of food affect chewing kinematics, and examined the effects of aging on behavior. Twenty young and 21 older volunteers were asked to freely chew rice crackers and spit the food out at their average chewing duration. We compared chewing characteristics among the conditions (age × rice cracker), and examined the area of rectified masseter and suprahyoid electromyographic bursts per chewing cycle.

Gastroesophageal reflux-like symptoms are associated with hyposalivation and oropharyngeal problems in patients with asthma.

Background: Previous studies have suggested a significant relationship between hyposalivation and inhalation therapy-induced oropharyngeal problems. However, salivary secretion tests are not widely performed in daily clinical practice. In fact, xerostomia, the complaint of dry mouth, may not indicate hyposalivation.