Development of a new method for evaluating food squashing pressure to provide an appropriate meal for elderly persons needing long-term care

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K17171
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Prosthodontics/ Dental materials science and
• Research Institution: Hiroshima University
• Principal Investigator: MORI Takahiro 広島大学, 病院(歯), 助教 (70760007)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 介護食品 / 口腔機能 / 食事形態

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To develope a method of evaluating oral pressure when a nursing-care food is squashed in the mouth for elderly persons needing long-term care, the way of squashing was observed and the oral pressure at that moment were measured. The results in 72 subjects showed the way of squashing was that “tooth-to-tooth” was 41 subjects, “tooth-to-alveolar ridge” was 15 subjects, “alveolar ridge-to-alveolar ridge” was 10 subjects, “tongue-to-palate” was 6 subjects. 70 subjects were able to squash Category 3 nursing-care food, the way of squashing in the other 2 subjects was “tongue-to-palate” and the oral pressure was 5.7 kPa and 5.2 kPa. 62 subjects were able to squash Category 2 nursing-care food, its cut-off value was 12.7 kPa.

Free Research Field

補綴学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

我が国の介護食品をはじめとした食品加工技術が国際的にも高水準にある一方で，食品の硬さに対応する歯あるいは顎堤で押しつぶす力の定量的指標は確立されていない．本研究では，要介護高齢者の多様な口腔環境に適応できるように歯や義歯がなくとも食品を口で潰す力を測定することが可能な検査法を開発した．また，本検査法を用いて介護食品「区分２：歯ぐきでつぶせる食品」の粉砕の可否についてカットオフ値を算出した．