• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.13-23
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• 2023

Objectives: This case study was conducted to assess the changes in the oral health status of older individuals with hearing and visual impairments through home oral health care based on community care. Methods: The participants were two older adults with hearing and visual impairments. Through home visits, an oral health intervention program, including oral hygiene care and training on strengthening of oral function, was conducted once a week for 5 months. Dental hygienists performed special oral health interventions such as dental plaque control through individual tooth brushing and interdental care, training on strengthening of intraoral and extraoral muscle function, and denture care for the individuals with visual-hearing impairments. Results: The overall periodontal health status and oral muscle function improved in older adults with hearing and visual impairments. In the case of the visually impaired individuals, changes in the oral health status were oral mucosal moisture (30.1 and 37.2 points before and after intervention, respectively), salivary secretion (3.5 and 4.0 cm before and after intervention, respectively), and maximum tongue pressure (20.5 and 26.2 kPa before and after intervention, respectively). Changes in the oral health status of the hearing impaired individuals increased from 28.3 points before the intervention to 38.4 points after the intervention, and the maximum tongue pressure increased from 1.85 kPa to 23.5 kPa after the intervention. Conclusions: Oral health intervention activities contributed to improving the periodontal health and oral function of older adults with hearing and visual impairments. To improve their overall and oral health, it is necessary to prepare measures to activate customized oral health intervention programs.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.898-906
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of Oral Function Improvement Exercises on salivation, xerostomia and halitosis in elderly people. Methods: The participants in the study were 48 female community-dwelling elders in D city. The Oral Function Improvement Exercises were given 3 times a week, for a total of 24 times from August to October 2011. Spitting method, Visual Analogue Scale, and halimeter (mBA-21) were used to evaluate the effects of Oral Function Improvement Exercises on salivation, xerostomia, and halitosis. The data were analyzed using ${\chi}^2$-test and t-test with the SPSS program. Results: The experimental group had significantly better salivation, and less xerostomia and halitosis than the control group. Conclusion: The results indicate that Oral Function Improvement Exercises were effective for salivation, xerostomia and halitosis in the elders. Therefore, it was suggested that Oral Function Improvement Exercise are applicable in a community nursing intervention program to improve the quality of life for elders.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.161-172
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• 2019

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the correlation between oral function, oral environment, and brain cognitive function in the elderly. Methods: The subjects were 60 users of senior community center and elderly day care center. The survey was conducted from November to December 2018. Subjects were assessed by oral examination and myofunction test. Oral myofunction was measured using $IOPI^R$ and Lip de $Cum^R$. Survey data were analyzed using the statistical programs of PASW Statistics ver. 18.0. Results: Tongue muscle strength and lips muscle strength was higher in males than in females. The tongue and lip strengths were higher in the <81 years old group than the ${\geq}81$ years old group. Functional tooth analysis showed that there was a ${\geq}15$ teeth group ($40.91{\pm}7.36$) and a <15 teeth group ($32.52{\pm}7.14$). Lip muscle strength analysis showed that the ${\geq}15$ teeth group ($10.54{\pm}3.40$) was higher than the <15 teeth group ($8.20{\pm}2.41$, p<0.05). Tongue muscle strength, lumbar muscle strength, and functional tooth number were lower in the elderly subjects with mild cognitive impairment. Cognitive function was significantly correlated with functional tooth number (r=0.386, p<0.001), tongue strength (r=0.478, p<0.001), and lip strength (r=0.281, p<0.05). Tongue strength was significantly correlated with lip strength (r=0.360, p<0.001) and functional tooth number (r=0.633, p<0.001). Lip strength was significantly correlated with functional tooth number (r=0.376, p<0.001). Conclusions: These results showed that age and functional tooth number influenced oral muscle strength and that the number of functional teeth and oral muscle strength were low in the elderly with mild cognitive impairment. Oral myofunction training and oral care program are suggested to improve the quality of life of the elderly.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.497-503
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a program geared toward improving elderly people's oral function. After a program was provided to the selected elderly people free of charge for three months, they were asked to rate their own oral function to see whether they underwent any changes after their participation in the program, and their oral function was tested to obtain objective data. The collected data were analyzed by the statistical package SPSS WIN 18.0. The findings of the study were as follows: As for changes in their self-rated indicators of oral function, they faced less troubles in most of the oral function items after they participated in the program, and there were statistically significant differences in some of the items. As a result of making an objective evaluation of their oral function, they underwent a little change in salivary flow rate from 1.19 to 1.30, though the change was not statistically significant. In terms of opening, they showed a statistically significant rise of scores from 4.22 to 4.53, and they also showed a statistically significant rise of scores in pronunciation from 30.52 to 38.88. Regarding satisfaction with the program, they gave 4.48 to the program, which implied that they were greatly satisfied with the program. The abovementioned findings suggest that oral health experts and program providers should try to encourage elderly people to keep on taking oral health programs with interest. Currently, oral exercise programs are conducted in some public health centers and in the field of clinical dentistry, and it's required to offer more oral exercise programs as community exercise programs for the elderly.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.5-16
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• 2021

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of an oral exercise program including whole-body exercises on oral function in older people. Methods: The participants (aged ≥65 years) were divided into three groups: intervention group I (only oral exercise), intervention group II (oral exercise with whole-body exercises), and control group (no intervention). The oral health status, saliva flow rate, and oral muscle strength were evaluated. Analyses were performed to compare the three groups and identify the changes in the aforementioned parameters before and after the program. Results: The saliva flow rate significantly increased in intervention groups I and II after the program. Oral muscle strength evaluation using the Iow a oral performance instrument showed that the anterior tongue strength increased significantly in intervention group I; the posterior tongue strength and cheek strength also increased but not significantly. The anterior tongue, posterior tongue, and cheek strengths significantly increased in intervention group II. Conclusions: The oral exercise program including whole-body exercises showed positive effects on the saliva flow rate and oral strength. No significant differences were observed in the quality of life related to oral health.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.55-65
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• 2008

Objective: This study aims to investigate the relationship between dental status and oral function by analyzing those in some long-term care elderly patients. Methods: It performed oral examination and 4 oromotor function examinations such as repeated swallowing function, correct pronunciation function, saliva secretion rate and maximum mouth opening to 91 elderly patents aged 65 and older in the municipal geriatric hospital located in Cheonan. Results: Dental status of patients such as the number of dental caries, treated teeth, retained teeth and function teeth were better in mobile elderly patients than in immobile elderly patients. Attachment rate of dental plaque and the number of teeth being extracted were more in mobile patients than in immobile patients. More retained teeth, the number of function teeth and dental caries and the score in pronunciation status test were significantly higher. With more function teeth, the score in pronunciation status test was significantly higher. As saliva secretion rate is higher, repeated swallowing function was significantly better. repeated swallowing function rate is higher pronunciation status was significantly better. Conclusions: With the results of this study, it was found that among long-term care elderly patients, oral function was worse in immobile patients than in mobile patients. Therefore, it may be necessary to plan and perform an oral function improvement program preferentially for elderly patients requiring long-term care.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.99-110
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• 2016

Objectives : The aim of the present study was to propose more substantial data for evaluating the quality of life of adults in terms of oral health as well as provide the basic data necessary to develop an effective oral health care program that improves the quality of life of adults by age group. Methods : Raw data were used from the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for the first and second years which was conducted from January 2013 to December 2014. Multiple regression analysis was conducted with the collected data by gender and age group to determine the impact of oral functions on the quality of life of adults. Results : It turned out that oral function has an impact on the quality of life of adults by age group as follows: young people (${\beta}$=.077), middle-age people (${\beta}$=.101), young-old elderly people (${\beta}$=.140), and old-old elderly people (${\beta}$=.143). It was shown that as people grow older, they have better quality of life only when they have good oral function. Conclusions : It is necessary to develop a proper oral health care program that prevents oral diseases and improves oral function by age group, which eventually will lead to good oral health. Continuous oral healthcare is also considered necessary.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.92-96
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• 2001

Velopharyngeal function refers to the combined activity of the soft palate and pharynx in closing and opening the velopharyngeal port to the required degree. In normal speech, various muscles of palate & pharynx function as sphincter and occlude the oropharynx from the nasopharynx during the production of oral consonant sounds. Inadequate velopharyngeal function caused by neurologic disorder - cerebral apoplexy, regressive diseases - disseminated sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, congenital deformity - cleft palate, cerebral palsy and etc. may result in abnormal speech characterized by hypernasality, nasal emission and decreased intelligibility of speech due to weak consonant production. In our study, we constructed speech aids prosthesis - Palatal lift in acquired idiophathic VPI patient and assessed velopharyngeal function with various diagnostic instruments which can evaluate the speech characteristics objectively.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.483-488
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• 2006

Velopharyngeal function refers to the combined activity of the soft palate and pharynx in closing and opening the velopharyngeal port to the required degree. In normal speech, various muscles of palate & pharynx function as sphincter and occlude the oropharynx from the nasopharynx during the production of oral consonant sounds. Inadequate velopharyngeal function caused by neurologic disorder - cerebral apoplexy, regressive diseases - disseminated sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, congenital deformity - cleft palate, cerebral palsy and etc. may result in abnormal speech characterized by hypernasality, nasal emission and decreased intelligibility of speech due to weak consonant production. In our study, we constructed speech aids prosthesis - Speech bulb in the incomplete cleft palate VPI patient with hypernasality and assessed velopharyngeal function with nasometer which can evaluate the speech characteristics objectively.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.125-135
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• 2017

The current study examines PCC (percentage of correct consonant), speech intelligibility, and oral motor function between the group of typically developing children and the group of children with Down's syndrome. To 15 children with Down's syndrome (mean CA: 9;7) and 15 typically developing children on receptive language age, the following tests were administered: K-WPPSI (2001), Picture Vocabulary Test (Kim et al., 1995), Oral and Speech Motor Control Protocol for total oral functional score (Robbins et al., 1987), DDK and Assessment of Phonology and Articulation for Children (APAC, Kim et al., 2007) for PCC and speech intelligibility. Pearson correlation coefficients were computed for the total oral functional score, PCC and DDK of each group. The statistical analysis showed that there is no significant difference in total functional score and DDK when IQ was controlled. There was a significant correlation between total oral functional score and PCC in the Down's syndrome group and a significant correlation between total oral functional score and intelligibility in the Down's syndrome group whether IQ was controlled or not. The findings suggest that both cognitive ability and overall oral motor function need to be considered for the intervention to enhance PCC or speech intelligibility of children with Down's syndrome.