Electromyographic evaluation of perioral muscle activities during facial expression and button-pull exercise.

Background: Muscle weakness negatively affects perioral muscles and quality of life. The button-pull exercise is used to teach lip closure (LC) and to strengthen muscles. However, how the muscles accomplish LC during button-pull and its training effect on each muscle are unknown.

New method of recording the functional activity pattern of the buccinator from the mucosal surface.

Objectives: The buccinator (BUC) is an important muscle for oral function. Since it lies deep in the facial skin, recording its activity is difficult; thus, studies on its function are limited. We developed a method to access the deep facial muscles from the mucosal side.

Factors Associated with Undergoing Regular Dental Check-ups in Healthy Elderly Individuals.

The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution of healthy elderly individuals undergoing regular dental check-ups and identify any environmental or associated oral factors. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was used to interview 216 individuals attending 2 welfare facilities for the elderly, of whom 160 were included in the final analysis. Items comprised age, sex, number of residual teeth, frequency of teeth/denture cleaning, subjective chewing ability, denture use, oral status, regular dental check-ups, visitation of the same dentist, number of dental visits in the past year, General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) (Japanese version) score, living situation, and use of routine medication.