2020 Volume 22 Issue 2 Pages 53-58
This study confirmed the effectiveness of the pa-ta-ka-ra exercise (oral functional training) for patients with mental disorders. We instructed some patients with mental disorders receiving inpatient treatment to perform the exercise every day for 6 months. Before and after the exercise period, we measured each patient's frequencies of producing 3 sounds: “pa”, “ta”, and “ka”, using an oral movement measurement device. As a result, we analyzed the data of 31 patients who measured it. Before the exercise period, the patients' frequencies of producing “pa”, “ta”, and “ka” were generally low, indicating oral dysfunction. After performing the pa-ta-ka-ra exercise for 6 months, the frequencies significantly increased. When one of the 3 sounds was more frequently produced, the frequencies of producing the 2 other sounds also tended to increase. The results of the present study support the effectiveness of the pa-ta-ka-ra exercise as an oral functional training method for patients with mental disorders.
