2017 Volume 21 Issue 3 Pages 191-199
We analyzed an oral health report from dietitians dispatched to the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake in order to clarify specific oral health problems after the disaster.
This study extracted the issues regarding oral health from the free description of responses of 602 dispatched dietitians by using key words. The key words for the first textual search were chosen from a standard oral health assessment sheet and other materials. Secondary key words for the second textual search were selected from the results of the first textual search. The free descriptions extracted from the first and second textual searches were categorized into similar groups and labeled by the KJ method.
Oral health issues were classified into four categories: “difficulty of swallowing,” “difficulty of chewing,” “environmental degradation,” and “degradation of oral condition.” Difficulty of swallowing included “needs for soft meals by dysphagia,” “needs for thickening agent by choking,” and “aspiration.” Difficulty of chewing included “needs for chopped meals due to reduced mastication” and “degradation of dietary intake by loss of denture.” Environmental degradation included “overeating of snacks/increase of dental caries and obesity” and “impossibility of brushing teeth.” Degradation of oral condition included “stomatitis” and “sputum production and dry mouth.”
These results suggest that an oral health support system is necessary for eating assistance during disasters. Health professionals should focus on oral health and enhance the cooperation between other fields for future disasters.
