Purpose：The number of older adults with dementia is increasing rapidly in Japan. However, an effective treatment for dementia has not yet been established. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among oral function, social capital, and cognitive decline in community-dwelling older adults.

　Methods：Cognitive function was assessed using the items of the Kihon Check List. Binomial logistic regression analysis was performed with the presence of cognitive function as the dependent variable. A covariance structure equation was developed to examine the effect of each factor on the impairment in subjective cognitive function.

　Results：Seventy-three subjects（24 males and 49 females, mean age 80.0±10.6 years）were analyzed. The results of binomial logistic regression analysis showed that depression（odds ratio（OR）6.392, 95% confidence interval（CI）1.208-33.821）, oral diadochokinesis（ODK）/ta/（OR 0.633, 95% CI 0.457-0.962）, and rural social capital（OR 0.927, 95% CI 0.859-0.999）were significantly associated with subjective cognitive impairment. The relationships among the factors obtained by the covariance structural equation showed that older age, a lower frequency of ODK /ta/, and a more depressive status tended to be related to worse subjective cognitive function. A higher frequency of ODK /ta/, less depressive status, and a higher rural SC value tended to be associated with less subjective cognitive impairment.

　Conclusions：This study suggested that depression, tongue dexterity and rural social capital were associated with subjective cognitive impairment in a study of older adults in rural areas.

　Objective：To clarify the physical and motor functions that influence the Repetitive Saliva Swallowing Test（RSST）, a method of assessing oral function, in older adults with suspected dynapenia and sarcopenia living in an aging community.

　Subjects and Methods：The subjects were 253 homebound older people（71 males and 182 females, mean age 77.5±6.8 years）who participated in motor function measurement in a town in Miyazaki Prefecture and agreed with the purpose of the study. Body composition measurement by the multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance method, RSST, and motor function measurement were conducted. The subjects were classified into healthy, presarcopenic, sarcopenic, and dynapenic groups, and their RSST results, body composition, and motor function were compared. Physical and exercise factors that were determinants of RSST were extracted by multiple regression analysis.

　Results：RSST values were significantly decreased in subjects with sarcopenia and dynapenia（p<0.05）. Isometric knee extensor strength was a significant determinant of the RSST value in the sarcopenia and dynapenia groups（p<0.01）.

　Conclusion：Significant reductions in RSST values were observed in the dynapenia group, a group that has been often overlooked in previous frailty measures. The results suggest the need to strengthen exercise and oral function improvement programs for people with dynapenia and to address risk reduction in exercise and oral function.

　Background：As we enter the super-aged society, an increasing number of older adults are expected to have an impaired swallowing function. Videoendoscopic evaluation of swallowing（VE）is one of the techniques used to evaluate swallowing function. While VE is a common procedure for physicians and dentists, it is challenging for care workers to interpret VE images. We developed and evaluated a method to simultaneously record VE images and subjects during a swallowing test with the goal of facilitating collaboration in the context of a multidisciplinary care system.

　Method：VE was performed in a subject in an intensive care home for older adults. A small camera was attached to the control body of the endoscope to record the subject as they performed a swallowing test during VE. A total of 10 care workers watched the recording of VE alone and in combination with the recording of the subject, and were administered a questionnaire to evaluate their level of understanding in terms of the information that needed to be shared as part of the care they provide.

　Results：We demonstrated that it was possible to record both VE images and the subject simultaneously during the swallowing test. Responses to the questionnaire further indicated that the care workers had a significantly better understanding of what to do and what not to do in terms of mealtime assistance, meal content, and posture when they watched the two videos that were filmed simultaneously（p＜0.05）.

　Conclusion：We demonstrated that the method to simultaneously record VE images and subjects during swallowing tests improved the understanding of VE among care workers. Our findings suggest that it is a useful tool for sharing information about subjects’ swallowing function.