Kobe City: Preventing Oral Frail

What is Oral Frail?

Oral frail refers to a state of decreased oral function. Specifically, the following symptoms are listed:

1. Dry mouth
2. Deterioration of tongue
3. Mild swallowing
4. Spilling food
5. difficulty swallowing
6. Increased number of foods that cannot be chewed

Oral frailty, if left untreated, increases the risk of frailty (decline in mental and physical function) and the risk of needing long-term care by 2.4 times after 4 years. Early detection and maintenance of oral function are effective in preventing low nutrition and flail.

Kobe City distributes free coupons to persons aged 65 and 75.

• Oral Frail Check Subjects and Information Method

Mechanism of Oral Frail

Decline in chewing and swallowing ability causes a “negative cycle”:

If people with chewing difficulties are left alone, they will choose only soft foods, which leads to a vicious cycle of further decline in chewing ability, low nutrition, muscle weakness, and increased risk of flailing.

Oral Frailty Self-checklist

1. Increase in foods difficult to chew
2. Less than 20 teeth
3. Frequent spills
4. Increased swallowing
5. Deterioration of tongue
6. Persistent thirst symptoms

If any of these items are present, early action is required. If left untreated, the risk of flail progression increases.

Oral Function Maintenance Training

• Start with neck and shoulder stretches
• Breathing control and saliva swallowing
• Buccal muscle exercises (inflating and squeezing)
• Tongue extension exercises
• Multi-directional tongue exercises
• Pronunciation exercises (pa, ta, ka repetitions)
• Salivary gland massage

Healthy Mouth Exercise Manual (PDF: 344KB)

Importance of Regular Dental Checkups

If dental checkups are infrequent, there is a delay in the detection of periodontal disease and tooth decay → tooth loss → increased risk of deterioration of oral functions. As a result, it leads to worsening of nutritional status → progression of frailty, so a dental checkup once every six months is recommended.

Related Services

• Oral Frail Check for 65-year-olds
• Oral Frail Check for 75-year-olds and Dental Checkup for Late-Stage Senior Citizens

Dental Association Recommended Resources

• Oral Frail Explanatory Video (external site)
• Oral Training Videos (external site)

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