Authors: Minoru Innami, Masayo Okumura, Junichi Otogoto, Eiji Kondo, Norio Sogawa, Masami Niwa, Tadashi Ogasawara, Mihoko Tomida.
Introduction: The oral function with many teeth affects the health maintenance of the whole body and brain activation of the older people. This study investigates the relationship between cognitive and oral functions, and the effect of tongue and lip motor training on cognitive function.
Methods: One hundred subjects (age > 65) were investigated Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), their number of present teeth, masticatory function, occlusal force, and oral diadochokinesis (ODK), and correlations between their MMSE scores and the other factors were discussed. Fifteen subjects (5 non-impairment group: NIG, 10 impairment group: IG) participated in tongue and lip motor training three times daily for 15 months. Their MMSE scores, masticatory function, occlusal force, and ODK times were measured every three months.
Results: Their MMSE scores correlated with age, number of present teeth, masticatory function, and ODK. Furthermore, multiple regression analysis showed that MMSE scores were strongly related to age and ODK. MMSE scores of IG were significantly higher after 15 months of pronunciation than before training and three months after training started. In both groups, ODK times after 15 months of training were significantly higher than before the training and three months training started. Their masticatory function and occlusal force in the IG showed no significant differences during the 15 months of training.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that cognitive function may be related to oral function, especially pronunciation, and those 15 months of tongue and lip motor training is effective in improving cognitive and pronunciation functions.
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