Tongue thickness measured by ultrasonography is associated with tongue pressure in the Japanese elderly.

The term "oral frailty" reflects the fact that oral health is associated with physical frailty and mortality. The gold standard methods for evaluating the swallowing function have several problems, including the need for specialized equipment, the risk of radiation exposure and aspiration,...

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Main Authors: Masahiro Nakamori, Eiji Imamura, Masako Fukuta, Keisuke Tachiyama, Teppei Kamimura, Yuki Hayashi, Hayato Matsushima, Kanami Ogawa, Masami Nishino, Akiko Hirata, Tatsuya Mizoue, Shinichi Wakabayashi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2020-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230224
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author Masahiro Nakamori
Eiji Imamura
Masako Fukuta
Keisuke Tachiyama
Teppei Kamimura
Yuki Hayashi
Hayato Matsushima
Kanami Ogawa
Masami Nishino
Akiko Hirata
Tatsuya Mizoue
Shinichi Wakabayashi
author_facet Masahiro Nakamori
Eiji Imamura
Masako Fukuta
Keisuke Tachiyama
Teppei Kamimura
Yuki Hayashi
Hayato Matsushima
Kanami Ogawa
Masami Nishino
Akiko Hirata
Tatsuya Mizoue
Shinichi Wakabayashi
author_sort Masahiro Nakamori
collection DOAJ
description The term "oral frailty" reflects the fact that oral health is associated with physical frailty and mortality. The gold standard methods for evaluating the swallowing function have several problems, including the need for specialized equipment, the risk of radiation exposure and aspiration, and general physicians not possessing the requisite training to perform the examination. Hence, several simple and non-invasive techniques have been developed for evaluating swallowing function, such as those for measuring tongue pressure and tongue thickness. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between tongue thickness ultrasonography and tongue pressure in the Japanese elderly. We evaluated 254 elderly patients, who underwent tongue ultrasonography and tongue pressure measurement. To determine tongue thickness, we measured the vertical distance from the surface of the mylohyoid muscle to the tongue dorsum using ultrasonography. The results of the analyses revealed that tongue thickness was linearly associated with tongue pressure in both sexes. In male participants, dyslipidemia, lower leg circumference, and tongue pressure were independently and significantly associated with tongue thickness. In female participants, body mass index and tongue pressure were independently and significantly associated with tongue thickness. The optimal cutoff for tongue thickness to predict the tongue pressure of < 20 kPa was 41.3 mm in males, and 39.3 mm in females. In the Japanese elderly, tongue thickness using ultrasonography is associated with tongue pressure. Tongue thickness and tongue pressure, which are sensitive markers for oral frailty, decrease with age. We conclude that tongue ultrasonography provides a less invasive technique for determining tongue thickness and predicts oral frailty for elderly patients.
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spelling doaj.art-129b15e14612461c94cb88ee418089d72022-12-21T21:54:57ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032020-01-01158e023022410.1371/journal.pone.0230224Tongue thickness measured by ultrasonography is associated with tongue pressure in the Japanese elderly.Masahiro NakamoriEiji ImamuraMasako FukutaKeisuke TachiyamaTeppei KamimuraYuki HayashiHayato MatsushimaKanami OgawaMasami NishinoAkiko HirataTatsuya MizoueShinichi WakabayashiThe term "oral frailty" reflects the fact that oral health is associated with physical frailty and mortality. The gold standard methods for evaluating the swallowing function have several problems, including the need for specialized equipment, the risk of radiation exposure and aspiration, and general physicians not possessing the requisite training to perform the examination. Hence, several simple and non-invasive techniques have been developed for evaluating swallowing function, such as those for measuring tongue pressure and tongue thickness. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between tongue thickness ultrasonography and tongue pressure in the Japanese elderly. We evaluated 254 elderly patients, who underwent tongue ultrasonography and tongue pressure measurement. To determine tongue thickness, we measured the vertical distance from the surface of the mylohyoid muscle to the tongue dorsum using ultrasonography. The results of the analyses revealed that tongue thickness was linearly associated with tongue pressure in both sexes. In male participants, dyslipidemia, lower leg circumference, and tongue pressure were independently and significantly associated with tongue thickness. In female participants, body mass index and tongue pressure were independently and significantly associated with tongue thickness. The optimal cutoff for tongue thickness to predict the tongue pressure of < 20 kPa was 41.3 mm in males, and 39.3 mm in females. In the Japanese elderly, tongue thickness using ultrasonography is associated with tongue pressure. Tongue thickness and tongue pressure, which are sensitive markers for oral frailty, decrease with age. We conclude that tongue ultrasonography provides a less invasive technique for determining tongue thickness and predicts oral frailty for elderly patients.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230224
spellingShingle Masahiro Nakamori
Eiji Imamura
Masako Fukuta
Keisuke Tachiyama
Teppei Kamimura
Yuki Hayashi
Hayato Matsushima
Kanami Ogawa
Masami Nishino
Akiko Hirata
Tatsuya Mizoue
Shinichi Wakabayashi
Tongue thickness measured by ultrasonography is associated with tongue pressure in the Japanese elderly.
PLoS ONE
title Tongue thickness measured by ultrasonography is associated with tongue pressure in the Japanese elderly.
title_full Tongue thickness measured by ultrasonography is associated with tongue pressure in the Japanese elderly.
title_fullStr Tongue thickness measured by ultrasonography is associated with tongue pressure in the Japanese elderly.
title_full_unstemmed Tongue thickness measured by ultrasonography is associated with tongue pressure in the Japanese elderly.
title_short Tongue thickness measured by ultrasonography is associated with tongue pressure in the Japanese elderly.
title_sort tongue thickness measured by ultrasonography is associated with tongue pressure in the japanese elderly
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230224
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