The Study of Oral Function Improvement System to the Cognitive Function for the Elderly in Japan

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24659940
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Social dentistry
• Research Institution: The Lion Foundation for Dental Health
• Principal Investigator: ISHIKAWA Masao 公益財団法人ライオン歯科衛生研究所(研究部研究開発室), その他部局等, 研究員 (50597250)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 石井 孝典 公益財団法人ライオン歯科衛生研究所 (40597291) ; 武井 典子 公益財団法人ライオン歯科衛生研究所 (50556537)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 口腔機能向上システム / 口腔機能 / 認知機能 / グループホーム / 在宅高齢者

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We have studied the effect of an oral function improvement program (OIP) on the cognitive function of the elderly people.In the first-year, 37 people living in a group home have studied OIP intervention for one year and confirmed the restrain effect of MMSE score with high OIP actual user.
In the second year, 22 elderly people living in care house have studied with OIP program comparatively for 6-month (11 intervention group, and 11 control group). However, in the middle of this study, a Noro-virus infection spread within the facility, so we could not continue the intervention for three months. From these results, there was no difference between two groups with cognitive function levels.
In the third year, 75 community-dwelling older people (37 intervention group, and 38 control group) have studied. As a result, the intervention group had significantly improved with the WAIS III mark test, and confirmed a snignicicant drop of the suppression effects with cognitive function.

Free Research Field

口腔微生物