Ronen Shika Igaku
Online ISSN : 1884-7323
Print ISSN : 0914-3866
ISSN-L : 0914-3866
Current issue
Displaying 1-8 of 8 articles from this issue
Review Articles
Original Articles
  • Yuji Okano, Kosei Hashimoto, Shosaku Okuda, Kumiko Sakaguchi
    2025Volume 39Issue 4 Pages 208-215
    Published: 2025
    Released on J-STAGE: April 25, 2025
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

     It has been reported that the swallowing function of older people declines with age. In cases when aspiration pneumonia occurs, fasting and bed rest can lead to sarcopenia, which in turn can result in more severe swallowing disorders. The causes of sarcopenia such as age, activity, nutrition, or disease may be inter-related, and in all cases, both nutritional intervention and exercise intervention are necessary. Therefore, with the goal of preventing the decline in swallowing function, we considered strength training exercises for the swallowing muscles that can be performed even during bed rest. The subjects were 17 healthy adults(10 males and 7 females)with a mean age of 31.9±6.2 years.

     Muscle activities of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and sternocleidomastoid muscles were recorded with a surface electromyograph during open mouth resistance training in the sitting and supine positions. The maximum and average amplitude values of the opening resistance exercise were calculated, and the differences in the maximum and average amplitude values for each muscle(group)and posture condition were compared. In the supraspinatus muscle group, the maximum amplitude value was higher in the sitting position than in the supine position, but the mean amplitude value was higher in the supine position than in the sitting position. In the sternocleidomastoid muscle, both maximum and mean amplitude values were higher in the sitting position than in the supine position. Exercise in the supine position, which is a non-antigravity position, showed the same muscle activity of the supraspinatus muscle group compared to the sitting position, but the sternocleidomastoid muscle activity was reduced, suggesting that the supraspinatus muscle group may be strengthened in patients with decreased task completion rate due to weak swallawing and sarcopenia, or during bed rest in the acute phase.

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  • Maiko Ozeki, Yasutake Tomata, Reiko Hirasawa, Noriaki Takahashi, Takas ...
    2025Volume 39Issue 4 Pages 216-224
    Published: 2025
    Released on J-STAGE: April 25, 2025
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

     Purpose:Tongue pressure is a significant indicator of food intake, and an association with nutritional status has been suggested. This study aimed to clarify the association between tongue pressure and nutritional status in outpatients of a dental clinic.

     Methods:151 first-time outpatients aged 65 or older(mean age:80.5 years, 95 males and 56 females)visited a dental clinic specializing in dysphagia rehabilitation between January 2018 and December 2020. Patients’data on general characteristics, maximum tongue pressure, and functional teeth were collected from dental medical records. As for nutritional items, the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form(MNA-SF)score, a risk assessment tool for malnutrition, was collected.

     Results:A dose-response association was observed with MNA-SF scores decreasing stepwise as tongue pressure decreased(p<0.001). Patients with lower tongue pressure had significantly lower MNA-SF scores even after multivariate adjustment.

     Conclusion:Tongue pressure measurement in dental practice may allow early identification of malnutrition. Further research is needed on whether nutritional interventions for patients with decreased tongue pressure will prevent malnutrition and improve nutrition status.

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