高齢者の咀嚼・嚥下機能評価

― 文献レビューから考える高齢者の健康長寿 ―

抄録

Dysphagia is a mechanical or functional difficulty in one or more phases of the swallowing process from food ingestion in the oral cavity to a bolus passing through the esophagus. Recent studies have shown that the cause of dysphagia is in the oral phase of swallowing; Therefore there is increasing importance in evaluations of the relationship between oral function and swallowing. Oral functions of oral organs, tongue, jaw, teeth, and cheek, have been studied from the viewpoint of prosthetic dentistry for rehabilitation of the oral structure and function. However, such studies focused on mastication rather than swallowing. In this report, we review recent literature on (1) senescence changes in swallowing of the elderly, (2) dysphagia and oral function, (3) oral prosthesis and swallowing; especially our past studies on the relationship between complete dentures and swallowing in the elderly. In the near future, with the rapid increase of an aged Japanese population, prosthetic dentistry will need more information to be available with respect to oral prostheses for oral feeding functions that include not only mastication but also swallowing data. Furthermore, prosthetic dentistry should research relevancies among oral prostheses, reconstruction of the oral feeding function, and preservation of deconditioning. From this some indications might be found for how to prevent disuse syndrome and aspiration pneumonia. This will be one of the responsibilities of prosthetic dentistry in its contribution to oral rehabilitation for health and long life of the elderly.