A Fundamental Study on the Rehabilitation of Oral Functional Disorder and on Prevention and Interception of Recurrence of Oral Disease of Handicapped Children

Part 1 General Condition and Relationship between Oral Functional Disorder and Development of General Function

Abstract

This study is a part of the report on dental care of handicapped children and adults that was commitioned by the city of Tokyo in 1982.
First, we will examine the oral health program for handicapped children. We investigated as a fundamental study of the rehabilitation of the oral functional disorder as a part of a total study to clarify the degree of the oral functional disorder and the relationship between the degree of the oral functional disorder and development of the general function.
We obtained the following conclusions:
1. The degree of oral functional disorder of children with a severe oral functional disorder was 52.5% and the most severe disorder among oral functions was speech which has no effect on life support, what was slightly effected was the symetry of the lips and face and the formation of the head.
2. The actual degree of the functional disorders tended to be at the same level. Those disorders which showed a particulary severe degree of disorder were maintnance of posture, stationary state of the jaw, lifting of tongue, swallowing, and drooling.
3. Comparing the degree of oral function disorders with the development of the general functions we found that the degree of oral functional disorder was lighter than the developmental retardation of the general functions.
4. We found that the development of the oral functions had a high relevance to the development of the general functions, especially the maintenance of posture had a high correlation with the development of personal relationships, daily life, utilization of utensiles, understanding and walking.
5. If the neuromuscular relationship between them could be physiologically clarified and therapy created to promote the development of oral functions, it was shown that the promoted result of development of the oral functions has the potential to be able to promote development of the general functions.