JP2014054269A - Oral cavity function training device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an oral cavity function training device capable of maintaining motivation in addition to the restoration, maintenance, and improvement of oral cavity functions.SOLUTION: The oral cavity function training device comprises a grip portion and an insertion portion to be inserted into the oral cavity. The insertion part is provided with a flexible elastic body with a hollow portion inside, the elastic body comprising: a slit allowing the hollow portion to communicate with the outside; and at least one hole provided at positions different from the position of the slit.

Description

The present invention relates to a training device for recovery, maintenance, and improvement of oral functions, particularly tongue function and swallowing function.

When oral function is reduced due to illness or aging, masticatory power and swallowing function are lowered, and food and drinks cannot be sufficiently consumed, leading to a decrease in nutritional status. In addition, a phenomenon that food accidentally enters the trachea during swallowing (hereinafter, this phenomenon is referred to as “aspiration”) is likely to occur, and aspiration pneumonia may be caused. Aspiration pneumonia accounts for the top cause of death among elderly people, and preventing aspiration of patients and elderly people is an urgent issue in Japan, which is aging. In addition, diseases that reduce oral function include acute diseases such as cerebrovascular disorders such as stroke, disuse syndrome caused by prolonged resting, sarcopenia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) There are progressive diseases such as.

In order to avoid the risk of occurrence of aspiration pneumonia, it is important to diagnose whether mastication and swallowing can be performed firmly, that is, diagnosis of swallowing function. A wide variety of methods are used for diagnosis of swallowing function, from a method based on a doctor's subjectivity called an inquiry to an objective method called swallowing contrast examination (also referred to as VF). As a result of this diagnosis, if the swallowing function is reduced and it is determined that it is difficult to ingest food or drink from the mouth, it is necessary to ingest nutrition by means other than oral, such as parenteral nutrition or enteral nutrition. Become. In this case, there is no problem in terms of nutrition, but in addition to the problem of increasing the burden on the caregiver, the quality of life, that is, QOL (QOL ( There is also a problem that the quality of life is greatly reduced.

For this reason, an attempt has been made to train a person whose swallowing function has deteriorated to improve the oral function so that the person can eat again. Specifically, there are direct training using food such as tromi food and indirect training without using food. In indirect training, muscular strength of the lips and tongue, and the skill of their movements are trained, but in the past, general-purpose items such as gauze and buttons were processed and used according to the training purpose. However, in recent years, a dedicated training apparatus developed in order to enhance the effect of training as shown in the prior art document has been devised, and clinical use has been attempted.

JP 2007-330762 A JP 2007-319304 A JP 2008-067732 A JP 2008-11024 A specification

  These devices are intended to improve the oral function by the person who receives training actively moving the tongue, etc., but it cannot be said that it is possible to perform movements similar to those of actual food chewing and swallowing. Many. In other words, since the above indirect training is the main, even though the muscles around the tongue and mouth can be strengthened, the food is made into a bolus in the mouth and swallows it to perform a movement similar to the swallowing action It is not possible.

In addition, since it can be determined only by the sense of the person being trained whether exercise using the device is really successful, there is a possibility that the training may not be performed effectively. Furthermore, rehabilitation of the limbs makes it easy to maintain motivation because it is easy to realize functional recovery. There are also aspects. Therefore, it may be difficult to continue voluntary training.

The present invention solves these problems. That is, it provides an oral function training device that can recover, maintain, and improve oral function, can perform training in a manner close to actual swallowing operation, and can also maintain motivation. is there.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration. That is, the oral function training device of the present invention includes a grip portion and an insertion portion to be inserted into the oral cavity, and the insertion portion is provided with a flexible elastic body portion having a hollow portion therein. The elastic body portion includes a slit that communicates the hollow portion and the outside, and at least one hole that communicates the hollow portion and the outside and is provided at a position different from the slit. Features.

By filling the hollow part from the slit of the oral function training apparatus having the above structure with a liquid or solid substance, and inserting the elastic body part into the oral cavity to perform training in the oral cavity, the force is applied to the instrument. The volume of the hollow part is reduced when the elastic body part is deformed, and the filling or eluate of liquid, semi-solid or solid filled in the hollow part (hereinafter collectively referred to as these) (Also referred to as “fill”) flows out of the holes. Since the degree of training achievement can be clearly seen in the form of eluate outflow, the progress of the training can be easily judged. In addition, for those who receive training, training can be performed while feeling the taste, so that motivation can be maintained.

It is a perspective view which shows the oral function training instrument of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the oral function training apparatus of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows another embodiment of the oral function training apparatus of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows another embodiment of the oral function training apparatus of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows another embodiment of the oral function training apparatus of this invention. It is a schematic diagram of a state of performing training using the oral function training device of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows an oral function training device (hereinafter also simply referred to as “the present device”) of the present invention.

The insertion portion 2 to be inserted into the oral cavity of the instrument is provided with an elastic body portion 3 having flexibility. Examples of the material for forming the elastic body portion 3 include silicone rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, synthetic rubber, natural rubber, and the like. Silicone rubber and thermoplastic elastomer are preferable and particularly preferable from the viewpoint of elastic properties and safety. Silicone rubber. The degree of elasticity of the elastic material may be selected according to the purpose, but the hardness of 10 to 80 is preferable, and the hardness of 10 to 50 is particularly preferable. However, the hardness of the material is preferably selected so as to be optimal in accordance with the oral function of the person receiving training in this range.

The shape of the elastic body portion 3 may be substantially elliptical or substantially polyhedral, but since this instrument is used by being inserted into the oral cavity, it can be easily inserted into the oral cavity and placed on the tongue. Easy shape is desirable. Therefore, it is desirable that the shape is a flat ellipsoid if it is substantially elliptical, and a substantially rectangular parallelepiped if it is substantially polyhedral. Furthermore, since this instrument performs training so as to be crushed by the tongue and palate after being placed in the oral cavity, the shape of the elastic body portion 3 is preferably a flat ellipsoid that matches the shape of the palate. The size of the elastic body portion 3 is not particularly limited, but it is appropriate that the major axis direction is 15 to 40 mm and the minor axis direction is about 10 to 25 mm.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the oral function training device 1 shown in FIG. A hollow portion 4 is provided inside the elastic body portion 3. By providing the hollow portion 4, it becomes easier to deform when a force is applied to the elastic body portion 3. Moreover, when using this instrument so that it may mention later, the hollow part 4 is filled with a filler. Therefore, it is desirable that the hollow portion 4 has a size that can be sufficiently filled with the filler.

As shown in FIG. 2, the slit 5 provided in the elastic body portion 3 communicates the hollow portion 4 with the outside. When filling the hollow portion 4 with a filler, the slit 5 is deformed by, for example, pressurizing the elastic body portion 3 to enlarge the gap between the slits 5 and then the filler is filled. Therefore, it is preferable that the slit 5 has a size that can easily fill the hollow portion 4 with the filler. It is sufficient that at least one slit 5 is provided in the elastic body portion 3. In FIG. 1, the slit is provided on the minor axis of the ellipsoidal cross section, but may be provided on the major axis of the ellipsoidal cross section as shown in FIG. May be. Alternatively, the slits may be provided on the major axis and the minor axis of the ellipsoidal cross section so that the slits intersect each other.

In addition to the slit 5, the elastic body portion 3 is provided with a hole 6 that communicates the hollow portion 4 with the outside. When the elastic body portion 3 is pressurized during training, the volume of the hollow portion 4 decreases according to the deformation of the elastic body portion 3. At this time, the filling material or the eluate filled in the hollow portion 4 is compressed. , Flows out of the elastic body portion 3 through the hole 6. The hole 6 may be provided at a position different from the slit 5. The number of the holes 6 may be one, but may be plural as shown in FIG.

This instrument may be provided with a gripping portion 7 on the elastic body portion 3. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a hole is provided in the gripping portion 7, and a finger is passed through the hole, or a thread or string is passed through the hole, thereby gripping the thread or string firmly. Can be gripped. In this example, one hole is provided, but a plurality of holes may be provided, and the gripping part 7 itself may be formed in a ring shape as shown in FIG. Moreover, as long as it is a shape easy to hold by hand, shapes other than the above, such as a rod shape, may be used.

In this instrument, you may provide the base shaft part 8 for connecting the elastic-body part 3 and the holding part 7, as shown in FIG. The thickness, length, and shape can be arbitrarily selected according to the purpose, but the shape is preferably flat so that it can be easily held when the insertion portion 2 is inserted into the oral cavity. . Furthermore, a rib may be provided in a direction perpendicular to the axis so that the position of the instrument is not easily shifted back and forth when held by teeth or lips. The length of the base shaft portion 8 may be selected so that the elastic body portion 3 comes to an optimum position in the oral cavity according to the position of the tongue and the purpose of training. At this time, by configuring the base shaft portion 8 with the same elastic material as that of the elastic body portion 3, when the swallowing operation is performed in training, the base shaft portion 8 is extended, and the operation of swallowing the bolus can be simulated. . This makes it possible to train not only the muscle strength around the tongue and mouth but also the muscles of the throat.

  A hard ring (not shown) having a hardness higher than that of the elastic material may be externally fitted to the base shaft portion 8. With this hard ring, even when the insertion shaft 2 is inserted into the oral cavity, the force can be received by the hard ring even if the base shaft portion 8 is bitten with teeth. That is, even if the base shaft portion 8 is repeatedly chewed, the base shaft portion 8 does not deteriorate, so that the present instrument can be used repeatedly over a long period of time. Like the base shaft portion 8, the hard ring may be provided with ribs in a direction perpendicular to the axis.

A flange portion 9 may be provided between the grip portion 7 and the insertion portion 2, that is, the base shaft portion 8 and / or the elastic body portion 3. The buttocks 9 are provided to prevent accidental swallowing of the instrument during training, and preferably have a size that does not easily enter the oral cavity. The position of the flange portion 9 is suitably provided in the vicinity of the rear end portion of the insertion portion 2. Moreover, since it contacts the mouth, it is preferably formed of a flexible material. The position, shape, size, thickness, and the like can be arbitrarily selected within a target range.

When performing training in the oral cavity using this device, the hollow portion 4 is filled with a filler. As described above, the filling may be filled with a spoon or the like with the slit 5 greatly opened, but may be filled in advance at the stage of manufacturing the device. In addition, the filling includes a liquid, a semi-solid, a solid that dissolves in saliva, and the like that flows out of the hole 6 in accordance with a change in the volume of the hollow portion 4 after the device is inserted into the oral cavity. However, it is desirable that the filler is semi-solid or solid so that the filler does not flow out of the hollow portion 4 before training, such as during transportation or before pressurizing the elastic body portion 3.

The filling should be sweetened. For example, when training is performed by filling the hollow part 4 with a sweet semi-solid or solid filling such as commercially available jelly, jam, cream, pudding, candy, etc., sufficient pressure is applied to the elastic body part 1. When done, these can flow out of the hole 6 and sense sweetness. Therefore, not only can the effect of the training be realized, but also the motivation of the person receiving the training can be maintained. Moreover, the saliva secretion of the person who receives training can be promoted by the sweetness of the filler that flows out from the hole 6. As a result, the oral cavity can be kept clean and the risk of developing pneumonia can be reduced.

An example of performing intraoral training using the oral function training device of the present invention will be described. When performing training in the oral cavity using this device, first, the hollow portion 4 provided in the elastic body portion 3 is filled with a filling such as jelly, jam, cream, pudding, and candy from the slit 5. And the elastic body part 3 with which the filler was filled is inserted in the oral cavity of the person who receives training in the form as shown in FIG. 6, and is placed on the tongue. The elastic body 3 is sandwiched between the tongue and the palate, and the elastic body 3 is deformed by applying force to the tongue. At this time, the elastic body portion 3 is elastically deformed inward, and as a result, the volume of the hollow portion 4 is reduced. When the tongue force is sufficiently applied, that is, when a sufficient force is applied to the elastic body portion 3 by the movement of the tongue to increase the degree of elastic deformation, the filling material filled in the hollow portion 4 or the eluate thereof is obtained. It flows out through the hole 6. At the time when the spill is noticed, the person who receives the training judges that the tongue movement was sufficient. If the elastic body part 3 has elasticity, once the instrument is inserted into the oral cavity, the elastic body part 3 can be repeatedly pressurized, so that effective training can be performed.

Moreover, the operation | movement which forms the bolus when food is ingested can be simulated by changing the elastic body part 3 by applying a pressure with a tongue. Further, the base shaft portion 8 is provided between the grip portion 7 and the insertion portion 2, and the base shaft portion 8 is formed of the same elastic material as that of the elastic body portion 3, so that the base shaft portion 8 expands when a swallowing operation is performed. Therefore, the operation of swallowing the bolus can be simulated. That is, by performing training on oral function and swallowing function using this device, training closer to the above direct training can be performed. The device may be discarded after training, but it can be used repeatedly after cleaning.

Intraoral training can be performed by the oral function training apparatus of the present invention. In the above-described embodiments, the method for training the instrument between the palate and the tongue has been described. However, the present invention is applicable to training of the cheek muscles.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Oral function training apparatus 2 Insertion part 3 Elastic body part 4 Hollow part 5 Slit 6 Hole 7 Gripping part 8 Base axis part 81 Rib 9 Gutter part

Claims (8)

A gripping portion and an insertion portion to be inserted into the oral cavity are provided, and the insertion portion is provided with a flexible elastic body portion having a hollow portion therein. An oral function training device comprising: a slit that communicates with each other; and at least one hole that communicates between the hollow portion and the outside and is provided at a position different from the slit. The oral function training device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic body portion is formed of silicone rubber or a thermoplastic elastomer. The oral function training device according to claim 2, wherein the entire device is integrally formed of silicone rubber or thermoplastic elastomer. The oral function training device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic material forming the elastic body portion has a hardness of 10 to 50. The oral function training device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a buttocks that prevents the device from being swallowed into the oral cavity between the grip portion and the insertion portion. The oral function training device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the insertion portion is provided with a base shaft portion that connects the elastic body portion and the grip portion. The oral function training device according to claim 6, wherein a hard ring having a higher hardness than a material constituting the base shaft portion is fitted on the base shaft portion. The hollow portion is pre-filled with a filling containing a material that flows out of the hollow portion from the hole in accordance with a change in the volume of the hollow portion. The oral function training apparatus as described.

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