Regular Oral Health Management Improved Oral Function of Outpatients with Oral Hypofunction in Dental Hospital: A Longitudinal Study.

Yukiko Hatanaka,Yoshiki Uchida,Risako Taue,Junichi Furuya,Toshiharu Shichita,Yuji Sato,Tokiko Osawa

doi:10.3390/ijerph19042154

Yukiko Hatanaka, Yoshiki Uchida + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19042154

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Abstract

This longitudinal study aimed to clarify the impact of regular oral health management for oral hypofunction on the oral function of older dental outpatients. The 68 participants enrolled in this study were older dental outpatients (mean age 78.5 ± 8.1 years). According to the number of declined oral examinations after the first exam, participants were assigned to the oral hypofunction group (Hypo group, ≥3), receiving regular oral health management with a leaflet at the dental clinic, or the pre-oral hypofunction group (Pre-hypo group, ≤2), which served as a control. At the second oral examination, after approximately 6 months to 1 year, the Hypo group showed significant improvement in the tongue-lip motor function (Oral diadochokinesis, ODK) /pa/, /ta/, and masticatory function, while the Pre-hypo group showed significant worsening in oral hygiene and oral wetness. Temporal changes in ODK /pa/, /ta/, and the number of declined examination items were significantly different between the groups. Multiple analysis revealed that the number of improved oral examination items were associated with presence of regular oral health management after adjusting for age, sex, number of visits, measuring period, and dental treatment. Regular comprehensive oral health management for oral hypofunction improves and maintains oral function among older dental outpatients.

Highlights

Oral function is known to decline with aging and systemic disease in addition to oral disease; in particular, masticatory and swallowing dysfunctions due to organic and functional changes of the oral cavity, represented by tooth loss and loss of tongue function, lead to nutritional intake methods and malnutrition [1,2,3,4]
In Japan, oral hypofunction was first defined as a condition of complexly reduced oral functions, which satisfied three or more of the following seven oral examination criteria: oral hygiene, oral wetness, occlusal force, tongue-lip motor function, tongue pressure, masticatory function, and swallowing function
The results of this study revealed that several oral functions can be improved or maintained by providing regular comprehensive oral health instructions using a leaflet in patients with oral hypofunction in a dental outpatient clinic

Summary

Introduction

Oral function is known to decline with aging and systemic disease in addition to oral disease; in particular, masticatory and swallowing dysfunctions due to organic and functional changes of the oral cavity, represented by tooth loss and loss of tongue function, lead to nutritional intake methods and malnutrition [1,2,3,4]. Poor oral function is a predictor of physical frailty, sarcopenia, need for nursing care, and mortality [5,6,7]. The importance of oral frailty [5,6,7], a progressive decline in oral function, ranging from trivial decline to dysphagia, and its countermeasures have been proposed [7]. The management of oral hypofunction in dental outpatient clinics is one of the most important strategies for preventing oral frailty that dentists can implement into routine practice [8,9]. In Japan, oral hypofunction was first defined as a condition of complexly reduced oral functions, which satisfied three or more of the following seven oral examination criteria: oral hygiene, oral wetness, occlusal force, tongue-lip motor function, tongue pressure, masticatory function, and swallowing function.

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