Objective evaluation method of chewing ability in the elderly

Research Project

Project/Area Number	13672042
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	補綴理工系歯学
Research Institution	KYUSHU UNIVERSITY
Principal Investigator	OKIMOTO Kimie Faculty of Dentistry, Assoc. Prof., 大学院・歯学研究院, 助教授 (00037532)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	MATSUO Kouichi Faculty of Dentistry, Assoc. Prof., 大学院・歯学研究院, 助手 (30229421) TERADA Yoshihiro Faculty of Dentistry, Prof., 大学院・歯学研究院, 教授 (30038898)
Project Period (FY)	2001 – 2002
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2002)
Budget Amount *help	¥3,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,300,000) Fiscal Year 2002: ¥1,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000) Fiscal Year 2001: ¥1,800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,800,000)
Keywords	elderly / chewing ability / artificialy made texture / energy expression / absorption / 人工試料テキスチャー / 篩分法
Research Abstract	A variety of studies have been reported so far in an attempt to assess masticatory function. However, there have been a very few reports objective measurement and assessment of masticatory ability for the aged who wear the denture. In 1989, Nakashima studied the masticatory ability with the artificially-prepared texture for healthy adult subjects, defined as the joules of work performed. We call this texture as [basic capsule] Based on the basic capsule, we developed newly soft artificially-made texture for the elderly enabling in measuring even the low level of mastication. We call this method and texture as [energy expression method] and [aged capsule]. The test materials consist of rubber capsule measuring 10 mm in diameter and 20 mm in length and of pigment 106 coated granules. Expression with energy: The absorption of pigment leaking from pigment granules degraded during mastication was measured. The chewing ability was obtained by energy conversion formula showing a relationship between the absorption level obtained by the basic experiment and energy. The energy conversion formula as follows: basic capsule Y=0.1206X, aged capsule Y=0.0655X X: absorption, Y: energy(Joule) Based on the obtained data, there was correlation between the joule-expression method and traditional methodsthe, sieve system and the food intake questionnaire by SPSS. Furthermore we concluded the masticatory frequency of 20 was the optimum, and repetition of 3 times was appropriate by additional reserch. Moreover, the joule-expression method provides 100% recovery of the test material and simplicity and accuracy because the granules are contained in the capsule. Therefore, these suggest that the joule-expression method and aged capsule should be useful and effective in evaluating the masticatory function for the elderly.