Comparison of the Amount of Used and the Ease of Oral Care between Liquid and Gel-Type Oral Moisturizers Used with an Oral Care Simulators

Hiroyuki Suzuki; Junichi Furuya; Chiaki Matsubara; Michiyo Aoyagi; Maki Shirobe; Yuji Sato; Haruka Tohara; Shunsuke Minakuchi

doi:10.3390/ijerph19138158

Comparison of the Amount of Used and the Ease of Oral Care between Liquid and Gel-Type Oral Moisturizers Used with an Oral Care Simulators

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jul 3;19(13):8158. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19138158.

Authors

Hiroyuki Suzuki¹, Junichi Furuya^{2

3}, Chiaki Matsubara⁴, Michiyo Aoyagi³, Maki Shirobe⁵, Yuji Sato², Haruka Tohara³, Shunsuke Minakuchi¹

Affiliations

¹ Gerodontology and Oral Rehabilitation, Department of Gerontology and Gerodontology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8549, Japan.
² Department of Geriatric Dentistry, Showa University School of Dentistry, 2-1-1 Kitasenzoku, Ohta-ku, Tokyo 145-8515, Japan.
³ Dysphagia Rehabilitation, Department of Gerontology and Gerodontology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8549, Japan.
⁴ Department of Dental Hygiene, University of Shizuoka, Junior College, 2-2-1 Oshika, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka 422-8021, Japan.
⁵ Research Team for Promoting Independence and Mental Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2 Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan.

Abstract

Oral care involving the removal of dry sputum is effective for older patients who require nursing care or hospitalization. However, safe and efficient oral care methods for such patients remain unclear. We aimed to simulate the oral cavity of older adults with dry mouth and elucidate the differences between two moisturization agents, water and gel-like oral moisturizer, and investigate the effect of occupation and experience on the amount of use and the ease of oral care. Using an oral care simulator (MANABOT^®, Nissin Dental Products Inc., Kyoto, Japan), 42 students and 48 dental professionals (13 dentists and 35 dental hygienists) performed oral care using moisturization agents to facilitate dry sputum removal. The time required for oral care, amount of water or gel used, amount of pharyngeal inflow, and ease of oral care when using water or gel were compared. The simulations revealed that the amount of use and pharyngeal inflow for gel (2.9 ± 1.6 and 0.3 ± 0.3, respectively) were significantly lower than those for water (6.8 ± 4.1 and 1.2 ± 1.5, respectively) in all participants. Using a gel-like moisturizer might reduce the aspiration risk in older patients requiring nursing care or hospitalization, regardless of occupation and experience.

Keywords: aspiration pneumonia; dysphagia; multidisciplinary medical care; oral care; oral moisturizers.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Humans
Japan
Water
Xerostomia*

Substances

Water

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Research Funding for Longevity Sciences (Grant No.: 28-13) and 8020 Research Grant for fiscal 2021 from the 8020 Promotion Foundation (Adopted number: 21-3-07). The funders had no role in the design of the study, in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data, in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.