Using one artificial saliva, and both 3 kinds of liquid and 2 kinds of jelly oral moisturizers, the relationship between viscosity and water retainability was studied. The viscosities were measured with a ViSmart viscometer and the water retainability was assessed from the residual rates of both the water content on the filter paper surface and the weight. Both residual rates of glycerin increased with the increase of viscosity, depending on the concentration. The residual rates of weight in artificial saliva, Salivate^Ⓡ, liquid oral moisturizers, Kinusui^Ⓡ, Wet Care^Ⓡ and Stoppers for^Ⓡ and jelly oral moisturizer, Refre-Care^Ⓡ H and Oral Balance^Ⓡ increased in parallel with the increase ofviscosity. From these results, it was suggested that the viscosities of artificial saliva and oral moisturizers might increase in parallel with the increase of residual rates of weight rather than the increase of the water content on the filter paper surface.

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The oral health and two cranial stress markers such as cribra orbitalia and porotichyperostosis in the remains of early modern Nigerian people, housed in the University of Cambridge since 1911 were investigated. Early modern Nigerian people had no carious teeth, and their antemortem tooth loss was low. These results were almost similar to those of Kubota et al. at the end of the 20th century. Some stress markers including enamel hypoplasia, cribra orbitalia and cribrotic hyperostosis were recognized, but the degree of these stress markers was slight. It is thought that the people who received a strong stress were not able to survive, which is a paleopathological paradox. Their dental attrition was very severe and it corresponds to the Yayoi people (ca. 2700〜1700 years BP) in Japan. Their severe dental attrition suggested that the slight occlusal caries had disappeared. On the other hand, their alveolar bone loss was relatively severe, and it was presumed that the frequency of periodontal diseases was high in the early modern Nigerian people. The number of missing teeth, the degree of dental attrition and alveolar bone loss of the late middle aged individuals was significantly different from early middle aged individuals. Physical anthropologists handle similar ancient human skeletal remains. Present study helps us to compare ancient and modern people in order to understand various problems and to find new perspectives.

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We examined the relationship between swallowing function and health-related QOL (quality of life) among frail elderly persons. The subjects were 64 frail elderly persons residing in northern Miyazaki prefecture. Data were collected through a questionnaire and a field survey. We obtained data on age, gender, ADLs (activities of daily living), cognitive function, health-related QOL, and swallowing function. We used the SF-8 to measure health-related QOL, and the DRACE (Dysphagia Risk Assessment for the Community-dwelling Elderly) and the WST (Water Swallowing Test) to evaluate swallowing function. The average score on the DRACE was 3.22±3.66. In the WST, 29 subjects (45.3%) "could drink water without immediately choking.” Seventeen subjects (26.6%) had risks associated with swallowing. Furthermore, swallowing risk was related to the PF (physical functioning), BP (bodily pain), GH (general health), VT (vitality), SF (social functioning), and MH (mental health) subscales of the SF-8. Our results suggest that the swallowing function among frail elderly persons is significantly related to the health-related QOL.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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