[in Japanese]

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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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Since April 1991 we, at the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, have been in volved in a long term project entitled “Longitudinal Interdisciplinary Study on Aginig, TMIG-LISA” As a, part of this interdisciplinary medical health a part survey our medical group un dertook an oral status survey.
The project, which will last ten years, is divided into medical, psychological and sociological sections.The medical group's essential aim is to study aging, to elucidate the causes of its related diseases and handicaps, and to suggest methods for the promotion of physical health. The study's subjects were an urban population in Koganei, Tokyo, and a rural population in Nangai, Akita Prefecture, ranging in age from middle aged upwards.The first random sample of 65 to 80 year olds was taken in the urban group in 1991. In this sample 814 subjects were interviewed and 405 (183 male, 222 female) were given a medical examination. To the previous items in the examination physical examination, anamnesis, hemodynamometry, electrocardiogram, and hematological, urine and internal tests, were added movement function (walking and tapping) and bone mineral density test and an oral examination.Bearing in mind the brief duration of the examination (about five minutes) it was decided to include the following items: 1) Masticatory ability: objective assessment using jelly of varying consistencies (G-1 jelly).2) Natural teeth: total number of functional natural teeth. 3) Functional teeth: total number including dentures. 4) Oral cleanlines. 5) Dentures-whether or not they were used. 6) Number of times per day the teeth were brushed. 7) Whether or not dental treatment had been received in the previous year.

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The object of this study is to assess geriatric diseases and to suggest measures to prevent aging, by following up a group of subjects from the same area over a period of ten years, concentrating on their oral status. The present report contains the findings after the first year of the survey.
There were 405 subjects, 183 male and 222 female. The three oral status items studied were the number of functional teeth, the number of natural teeth, and the masticatory function (using G-1 jelly).
The four other physical function studied were body weight, grasping power, equilibrium ability (length of time standing on one leg with the eyes poen) bone mineral density (measured by DEXA of the third lumbar vertebra).
The study of the correlation of the above items yielded the following results:
1. Correlation of age and oral status. With increasing age the number of natural teeth and the masticatory function significantly declined, but there was no significant correlation between age and the number of functional teeth.
2. Correlation of oral status and masticatory ability. The more natural teeth there were, the better was the masticatory ability, but there was no significant correlation between the number of functional teeth and the masticatory ability.
3. Multiple regression analysis, regardless of age sex, showed that good masticatory ability had a significantly positive effect on weight, grasping power, equilibrium ability and bone mineral density. This study was carried out as a part of the interdisciplinary long-term follow-up study for aging prevention from the middle years onwards.

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[in Japanese]

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Saliva has an important role in adequate denture wearing. The amount and consistency of saliva affect the retention of complete dentures and the comfort with which patients can wear them. A lack of saliva may be due to systemic disease such as diabetes. Certain diseases, such as Sjögren syndrome, affect the parenchymal cells of the salivery glands and result in their destruction leading to xerostomia. Some types of artificial saliva have helped relieve this problem. Recently, SST ® (Salix Salivastimulating Tablet) has been developed.
In this paper, the efficacies of SST ® were examined. An investigation was made of 8 young men (24-27 yrs.) and 12 complete denture wearers (66-88 yrs.). Salivaly secretion, the parotid secretion rate, and the rate of salivaly clearance were analyzed both in the normal state and after taking SST ®.
The results were as follows:
1) A high secretion rate in a ten minutes collection was observed when both groups took SST ®, with statistical significance (young: p<0.01, elderly: p<0.02).
2) A high parotid secretion rate in a ten minutes collection was observed when both groups took SST ®, with statistical significance (p<0.01). The duration of efficacy was different in each group.
3) The rate of salivary clearance increased when both groups took SST ®, with statistical significance (upper: p<0.05, lower: p<0.01).
The results of the present study suggest that SST ® is effective in the treatment of patients suffering from dry mouth.

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The puropse of this study is to describe and evaluate the dental service for the elderly in Japan. The subjects were 158 institutionalized (IE) and 107 non-institutionalized elderly (NIE). They were from 60 to 92 years old, and were all heslthy elderly.
The investigation was carried out by interview based on questionnaire to ascertain the subjects' the intraoral subjective symptoms and food acceptance.
The results were as follows;
1. Subjective symptoms; According to questionnaire, the intraoral sublective symptoms (Where do you have oral problems?) of all the subjects were in teeth (30.5%), dentures (28.4%) and periodontal tissue (12.4%), However, 5.6% of IEand 47.7%of NIE had notcomplain of oral problems. Toodhache was found in 6.2% of IEand 3.7% of NIE. The bleeding syrnptoms from gingiva at tooth-brushing were found 6.2% of IEand 3.7% of NIE.Swelling of the gingiva was detected by 4.2% (IE) and 4.9% (NIE) respectively.
2. Subjective assessment of dentures; In the upPer jaw, 48.5% of IEand 34.3% of NIE reported satisfaction with their dentjres, 42.3% of IE and 28.2% of NIE were satisfied with their dentures in the lower jaw.
3. Food acceptance; Half of subjects indicated a good for chewing ability.On the other hand, 18.0% of IE and 19.8% of NIE had chewing problems.
Only 26.8% of IE and 19.8% of NIE reported that chewing is on both sides (Do you chew on both sides or do you prefer to chew only on one side?).
These findings from our survey indicated that there is no significant difference between IE and NIE for the oral sublective symptoms and food acceptance. This conclusion suggest that the oral inspection should beundertaken and that a concrete food index should be established.

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With a view to creating guidelines for the oral care for demented persons, we examined their oral health condition in nursing homes. The sudjects were 179 elderly (48 male and 131 female), to whom it was possible to give an oral examination.
The ages of subjects ranged from 59 to 98 years old (mean age=81.4).
143 (79.9%) were diagnosed as dementia, 44 (30.7%) with mild dernentia, 39 (27.3%) with moderate dementia and 60 (44.0%) with severe dementia.
Compared with the nondernented elderly, the number of functioning teeth was srnall in the demented. Overall, regardless of dementia, their oral condition was very poor.
It is suggested that effective oral care and dental treatment for nursing home residents is necessary.

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The advantages thermoplastic denture adhesive are that it does not dissolve in the oral cavity and is reusable by washing for a few days. However, it has some disadvantages such as squeezing out of the tube and peeling off frorn the resin denture base.
To improve this adhesive's of ease use, several types of additives were evaluated.
As a result, polypropylene glycol (PPG) was selected.
The effect of PPG was evaluated by laboratory tests (squeeze test, peel off test) devised by our laboratories.
The mechanisrn of PPG effects was established by deterrnining physical properties such as the tensile strength and critical surface tension of used denture adhesive.
As the amount of PPG in denture adhesive increased, squeezability and removability were improved. The highest effect was observed at 5% of PPG.
The results of clinical tests and these laboratory tests showed a good correlation.
It is suggested that the laboratory tests can be used to predict irnprovernent for ease of use for the future development of denture adhesive.
Improvement of squeezability is due to less adhesion to the inner surface of the tube. Improvement of rernovability is due to both less adhesion to the resin denture base andinCreaSe Of elaStiCity.
These results were supported by laboratory tests which demonstrated the decrease of critical surface tension and the increase of thetensile strength of denture adhesive.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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