2013 Volume 17 Issue 2 Pages 126-133
We examined the effects of lip closure training in terms of brain activity, lip functions, and activities of daily living, as a preliminary research. Lip closure training for 3 min using a mouth rehabilitation apparatus was performed three times a day for 4 weeks for 5 elderly subjects (82.6±2.7 years old) who were admitted to a health service facility for the elderly. Various physiological functions of these subjects were evaluated before and 2 and 4 weeks after intervention of the training: maximum lip closure pressure, oral functions assessed by a repetitive saliva swallowing test and amount of saliva, sleep-awake patterns (circadian rhythm) assessed by actigraphy, arousal level assessed by a bispectral index (BIS) based on prefrontal EEGs, and feeding behaviors.
The lip closure training elevated the arousal level during the training period. After 4 weeks of daily training, maximum lip closure pressure and swallowing scores in the repetitive saliva swallowing test were improved, and the mean spectral power for the 24-h circadian rhythm was increased in all but one subject. These results, along with those of previous studies, suggest that lip closure training improves lip functions, arousal level and formation of circadian rhythm in the 24-h cycle.
