The Effect of Oral Function Improvement on Dietary Habits in Older Adults Requiring Support Care

Background: Aging causes a decline in various functions. Among older adults, deteriorations in oral function might interfere with their diet. However, the insight into whether oral function improvement affects older adults' diet remains unclear. Aim: To investigate whether oral function improvement by an intervention can affect the diet of community-dwelling aged people needing any care. Participants and Methods: This study enrolled 16 community-dwelling older people aged 65 years who were certified to require support care level 1 or 2. We measured the participants' oral function (tongue pressure, oral diadochokinesis, and masticatory force) and used questionnaires to collect data on attributes and diet before and after the intervention, which comprised four oral exercises once a day for 3 months at their own homes. The effect of the intervention was determined using the paired t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank sum test. Results: Tongue pressure (p < 0.001), /pa/syllable (p = 0.027), /ta/syllable (p = 0.046), and masticatory force (p = 0.012) significantly improved after the intervention. Conversely, the/ka/syllable (p = 0.083) and ingestion frequency (p = 0.107 - 0.773) did not change significantly. Conclusions: Oral function training improved the oral function of older adults but could not change their dietary habits. Diet improvement may require dietary counseling together with oral exercise.