A Study of Tongue Thickness in Elderly People in Japan

Main Article Content

Fumiyo Tamura Takeshi Kikutani Hiroyasu Furuya Hiromi Okayama Takahashi Noriaki

Abstract

The tongue is an important organ responsible for eating, swallowing and articulatory functions. We have focused on the tongue and studied the relationships of tongue muscles with swallowing function and systemic conditions (nutritional status).

            Ultrasonography was used to non-invasively measure tongue volume, setting the vertical thickness of the tongue as an index of the tongue’s volume.

            We have conducted three types of studies and obtained the following results:

  1. Dysphagia or malnutrition may affect tongue thickness, with subsequent worsening of malnutrition.
  2. Decreased tongue thickness in elderly people requiring nursing care is associated with not only their physical state but also declining oral functions.
  3. Tongue muscle mass to change in parallel with skeletal muscle mass changes. in men.

            These results suggested that measurement of tongue thickness using ultrasonography may be beneficial for screening evaluation of nutritional status and motor function in elderly people.

Article Details

How to Cite
TAMURA, Fumiyo et al. A Study of Tongue Thickness in Elderly People in Japan. Medical Research Archives, [S.l.], v. 5, n. 8, aug. 2017. ISSN 2375-1924. Available at: <https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/1433>. Date accessed: 28 mar. 2024.
Section
Review Articles

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