Establishment of The Evidence for Oral Rehabilitation for Patients with Oral Dysfunction

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K18653
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 57050:Prosthodontics-related
• Research Institution: Osaka Dental University
• Principal Investigator: MORIOKA Hiroki 大阪歯科大学, 歯学部, 講師(非常勤) (20838081)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 経頭蓋磁気刺激 / 低舌圧 / 口腔機能低下症 / 運動誘発電位（MEPs）

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Based on methods reported in previous literature in young healthy adults, data were collected from 11 elderly patients (4 males and 7 females, mean age 81 ± 5 years) with oral hypofunction with low tongue pressure. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) of the tongue muscles were recorded in response to transcranial magnetic stimulation of the cortical motor cortex, which controls the tongue, before and after 5 days of continuous tongue raising training.
Study results suggest that five days of continuous tongue raising training may induce neuroplastic changes in corticomotor pathways in patients with oral hypofunction with low tongue pressure.

Free Research Field

高齢者歯科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究課題は、口腔機能低下症に対する口腔リハビリテーション処方の標準化のため、中枢の神経可塑性変化と末梢の運動機能改善度の総合的な分析を目的とした。
今後は長期的な舌挙上トレーニングを行い、トレーニング効果の持続性についても解明していく予定であり、終局的には、高齢者の“口から食べる機能”の維持・回復、全身のフレイル予防、そして健康寿命延伸への寄与だけでなく、多職種で実行可能なサステナブルな口腔リハビリテーションの普及を目指している。