Oral Function Promotion Program for the Independent Elderly in Japan

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to provide an oral function promotion program for the independent elderly and evaluate the changes of oral health status and oral function. Methods: The subjects were independent elderly females recruited from Senior Citizens' Centers in Tokyo. Subjects' mean age was 75. The intervention group (n=73) received a 3-month oral function promotion program, which included face muscle exercises, tongue exercises and salivary gland massages. The control group (n=29) did not receive this program. The oral health status and oral function at baseline and the changes after the 3-month program were analyzed both in the intervention and the control groups. Results: In the intervention group, significant decreases in mean pocket depth were seen. The mean tongue coating scores decreased and the mean organoleptic score of oral malodor fell from 1.33 to 0.68. The amount of food debris in the oral cavity decreased from 1.88 to 0.31 and mean clinical tongue dryness score improved from 0.77 to 0.01. Furthermore, salivary flow rate increased and the tongue dryness decreased. The mean length of keeping tongue in the forward position increased from 11.0 seconds to 18.8 seconds, and the mean number of times of moving tongue tip with a clockwise circle motion, counterclockwise circle motion and side to side motion within 30 seconds, increased from 14.5 to 20.4, 14.6 to 20.3, and 17.5 to 23.8 respectively. The mean number of times of lips motion also significantly improved from 23.2 to 29.4 and the pronunciation of words was observed to be clearer. On the other hand, with the exception of decreased pocket depth a significant improvement was not detected in the control group. Conclusions: A 3-month oral function promotion program was effective in improving the oral health status and oral function of an independent elderly population in Japan.