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Updated: Oct 30, 2025
Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Changes in Physical and Oral Function after a Long-Term Care Prevention Program in Community-Dwelling Japanese Older
Yoshimi Iwao-Kawamura1,2, Hideo Shigeishi1, Shino Uchida2
1Department of Public Oral Health, Program of Oral Health Sciences, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan.
Background:
The aim of this prospective cohort study was to clarify changes in physical and oral function in older adults after completing a 3-month health program combining physical and oral exercise, oral health instruction, and nutritional guidance.
Methods:
Subjects were 34 women aged at least 70 years (mean age 79.2 years) in Bungotakada City, Oita Prefecture, Japan. Physical and oral function was investigated on the first day (baseline), at the end of the program, and 6 and 12 months after completing the health program. Physical function was measured using handgrip strength test, timed up and go (TUG) test and one-leg standing time test. Oral diadochokinesis test and repetitive saliva swallowing test (RSST) were employed to assess oral function.
Results:
TUG scores were significantly lower at 6 and 12 months than at baseline in participants aged ≥70 and <80 years. The repetition rate of the monosyllables /pa/, /ta/, and /ka/ was improved at the end of program in participants aged ≥70 and <80 years and increased to more than 6 times/second at 12 months.
Conclusions:
Our 3-month health program maintained improvements in oral and physical function in older women 1 year after completing the program.
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