Investigation of the development process of oral function using tableware

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K17156
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 57070:Developmental dentistry-related
• Research Institution: Niigata University
• Principal Investigator: Nakajima Tsutomu 新潟大学, 医歯学系, 助教 (80804575)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 捕食 / 三次元動作解析 / 食具

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of the present study was to clarify the characteristics of feeding behavior in childhood using three-dimensional motion analysis. Children and adults were instructed to eat rice with a spoon from a rice bowl placed on a table. As a result, it was found that (1) children have smaller front-back movement than adults when scooping rice from the bowl, (2) The child inserts the spoon into the mouth from the right side. (3) children insert the spoon after the maximum opening of the mouth.

Free Research Field

小児歯科

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

口腔機能発達不全症が保険収載されて以降、小児歯科診療において口腔機能を診査、診断、加療する機会は増えている。しかし、小児期の捕食動作の発達過程は明らかとなっておらず、客観的な評価基準は未だ確立していない。本研究では三次元動作解析を通して小児期の捕食動作の特徴を明らかにすることを目的に計測を行い、捕食動作における小児期の特徴を明らかにした。これらの結果は、小児期の口腔機能の発達過程を示しており、今後の口腔機能発達不全症の診断に向けたエビデンスの蓄積に寄与できたと考えている。