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Oral motor function and masticatory performance in the community-dwelling elderly

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Abstract

This study was performed to ascertain the relationships between oral motor functions, such as those of the tongue and lips, and age in the community-dwelling elderly, as well as to investigate the effects of these factors on masticatory performance. The subjects were 268 healthy elderly Japanese living in Kyoto. They were divided into four age groups and further classified into the following two groups by the presence or absence of posterior occlusal support: Eichner A or B1-B3 (group A), and Eichner B4 or C (group B). They were wearing removable or fixed dentures if they had missing teeth. Oral function evaluation items included (1) masticatory performance and (2) oral motor skills. Significant differences were noted among the age groups in tongue pressure within group A (P < 0.01) and group B (P < 0.05), and in the number of repetitions of the syllables /ta/ and /ka/ in group B (/ta/: P < 0.05, /ka/; P < 0.01). The number of natural teeth (β = 0.463, P < 0.001) in group A and tongue pressure (β = 0.436, P < 0.001) in group B were the only predictors of masticatory performance when the data were analyzed by multiple regression analysis. The tongue may compensate for the missing teeth in masticatory performance of those elderly who have lost their natural teeth. The results of this study highlight the importance of tongue function in masticatory performance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rehabilitation Clinic for Speech and Swallowing Disorders, The Nippon Dental University Hospital, 3-16 Fujimi 2-chome, Chiyodaku, Tokyo, 102-8158, Japan

    Takeshi Kikutani, Fumiyo Tamura, Keiko Nishiwaki, Miho Kodama, Makio Suda, Tomoko Fukui & Noriaki Takahashi

  2. Department of Advanced Prosthodontics, Hiroshima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima, Japan

    Mitsuyoshi Yoshida & Yasumasa Akagawa

  3. School of Nursing, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan

    Misaka Kimura

Authors
  1. Takeshi Kikutani
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  2. Fumiyo Tamura
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  3. Keiko Nishiwaki
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  4. Miho Kodama
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  5. Makio Suda
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  6. Tomoko Fukui
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  7. Noriaki Takahashi
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  8. Mitsuyoshi Yoshida
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  9. Yasumasa Akagawa
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  10. Misaka Kimura
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Correspondence to Takeshi Kikutani.

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Kikutani, T., Tamura, F., Nishiwaki, K. et al. Oral motor function and masticatory performance in the community-dwelling elderly. Odontology 97, 38–42 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10266-008-0094-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10266-008-0094-z

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