WO2012090507A1

WO2012090507A1 - Oral function training implement

Info

Publication number: WO2012090507A1
Application number: PCT/JP2011/007365
Authority: WO
Inventors: 齋藤　宏
Original assignee: 株式会社ジェイ・エム・エス
Priority date: 2010-12-28
Filing date: 2011-12-28
Publication date: 2012-07-05
Also published as: JP2014054269A

Abstract

The oral function training implement (A) is provided with a grip (1) and an elastic body (3) that is inserted into the mouth. The elastic body (3) has a hollow area (4) therein, and is provided with: a slit (5) that connects the hollow area (4) with the outside; and at least one or more holes (6) that connect the hollow area (4) with the outside and are provided at positions differing from the slit (5).

Description

Oral function training equipment

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

When oral function decreases due to illness or aging, masticatory power and swallowing function decrease, and food and drinks cannot be sufficiently consumed, leading to a decrease in nutritional status. Further, when the oral function is lowered, a phenomenon in which food mistakenly 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 represented by 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 normally, 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 (referred to as VF). As a result of this diagnosis, if swallowing function declines and it is judged that it is difficult to ingest food and drink from the mouth, nutrition should be taken by methods other than oral, such as parenteral nutrition and enteral nutrition. However, in this case, in addition to the problem that the burden on the caregiver increases, the quality of life, that is, QOL (Quality of Life), such as the loss of the pleasure of eating by the care recipient and the morale to live, is reduced. There is a problem of lowering.

For this reason, an attempt has been made to train a person with a lowered swallowing function to improve oral function so that the person can eat again.

Speci ﬁ cally, there are direct training using food such as tromi food and indirect training not 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 according to the purpose of the training.

However, in recent years, in order to enhance the effect of training, a dedicated training device as shown in the prior art document has been devised and clinical use has been attempted (Patent Documents 1 to 4).

JP 2005-287712 A JP 2006-34916 A JP 2007-319304 A JP 2008-11024 A

These devices are intended to improve oral function by the person who receives training actively moving the tongue and muscles around the mouth. There are many things that cannot be said. In other words, since the indirect training described above 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. It is not possible.

Also, it can be judged only by the sense of the person being trained whether exercise using the device is really successful, so there is a possibility that training will not be performed effectively.

Furthermore, for example, rehabilitation of the limbs makes it easy to maintain motivation because it is easy to realize the recovery of function, but in the case of oral functions, it is difficult to maintain the recovery, and it is difficult to maintain motivation during training There is also the aspect. Therefore, it may be difficult to continue voluntary training.

The present invention solves these problems. In other words, we provide oral function training equipment that can recover, maintain, and improve oral function, can perform training in a manner close to the actual swallowing action, and can also continue motivation. It is intended to do.

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

Further, it is preferable that the elastic body portion is formed of silicone rubber or thermoplastic elastomer.

Further, it is preferable that the entire training apparatus is integrally formed of silicone rubber or thermoplastic elastomer.

Further, it is preferable that the hardness of the elastic material forming the elastic body portion is in the range of 10 to 50 as measured by a measuring method based on JIS K6253.

Further, it is preferable that a buttock for preventing the training device from being swallowed into the oral cavity is provided between the grip portion and the elastic body portion.

Further, it is preferable that a base shaft portion that connects the elastic body portion and the grip portion is provided.

Further, it is preferable that a hard ring having a higher hardness than the material constituting the base shaft portion is fitted on the base shaft portion.

In addition, it is preferable that the hollow portion is filled in advance with a filler including a material that flows out from the hole to the outside of the hollow portion according to the volume change of the hollow portion.

By inserting a liquid material, a semi-solid material, a solid material into the hollow portion from the slit of the training device for oral function of the above configuration, and then performing an intraoral training by inserting the elastic body portion into the oral cavity, When a force is applied to the elastic body part, the elastic body part is elastically deformed to reduce the volume of the hollow part, and the filling or eluate thereof consisting of any one of liquid, semi-solid and solid in the hollow part ( Hereinafter, these are also collectively referred to as “filler”) and flow out of the holes. Since the degree of training achievement can be clearly seen in the form of filling 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.

1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a training tool for oral function according to the present invention. It is a longitudinal section showing a 1st embodiment of a device for training of oral function of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows a mode that it trains using 1st Embodiment of the training apparatus for oral cavity function of this invention. It is a perspective view concerning the modification 1 of 1st Embodiment of the training apparatus for oral cavity function of this invention. It is a perspective view concerning the modification 2 of 1st Embodiment of the training apparatus for oral cavity function of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows 2nd Embodiment of the training apparatus for oral function of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows a mode that it trains using 2nd Embodiment of the training apparatus for oral cavity function of this invention. It is a perspective view concerning the modification of 2nd Embodiment of the instrument for training of oral function of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the following description of the preferred embodiment is merely illustrative in nature, and is not intended to limit the present invention, its application, or its use.

In the present specification, the “vertical direction” is a direction in which the elastic body portion is crushed by the tongue (and palate) when the oral function training apparatus of the present invention is inserted into the oral cavity. "Corresponds to the left-right direction of the person performing the training when the training device is inserted into the oral cavity.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a training apparatus A for oral function according to the present invention. The training device A is used for training for recovery, maintenance, and improvement of oral functions, particularly tongue function and swallowing function. Examples of the target of training using the training apparatus A include those whose swallowing function has been reduced due to illness, those whose swallowing function has been reduced due to aging, and the like, but are not limited to these persons. Any person who has a low risk or a person who may have a risk of falling can be widely targeted.

The training device A includes an elastic body portion 3 to be inserted into the oral cavity and a grip portion 1 for holding by hand during training of oral function.

The elastic body portion 3 is made of an elastic material. Examples of the elastic material forming the elastic body part 3 include, for example, silicone rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, synthetic rubber, natural rubber, etc., but are not limited to these, and an elastic material having hardness suitable for training of oral function If it is.

From the viewpoint of elastic properties suitable for oral function training and safety to the living body, silicone rubber and thermoplastic elastomer are preferred, and silicone rubber is particularly preferred.

The hardness of the elastic material may be selected to be suitable for training of oral function, but the value in the JIS K6253 type A durometer hardness test is preferably in the range of 10 to 80, particularly preferably the hardness of 10 to A range of 50. If it exceeds this range, the elastic body part 3 is too hard or too soft, and is not suitable for training of oral function, and the effect of training is significantly reduced.

It is preferable that the hardness of the elastic material is selected so as to be the optimum hardness according to the oral function of the person who receives the training in the above-described range.

The shape of the elastic body portion 3 is preferably a substantially elliptical shape as shown in FIG. 1, but may be a substantially polyhedron, for example. Since the training apparatus A is used by being inserted into the oral cavity, it is desirable that the training apparatus A has a shape that can be easily inserted into the oral cavity and can be easily placed on the tongue.

Further, since the training device A is trained by being crushed by the tongue and palate after being inserted into the oral cavity, the shape of the elastic body portion 3 is preferably a flat ellipsoid according to the shape of the palate.

The size of the elastic body part 3 is not particularly limited, but the major axis direction (insertion direction into the oral cavity) is 15 to 40 mm, and the minor axis direction (vertical direction when inserted into the oral cavity) is 10 to 25 mm. The degree is appropriate. The size can be appropriately set according to the sex, physique, etc. of the person receiving the training.

The elastic body 3 is provided with a slit 5. The slit 5 communicates the hollow portion 4 that is the inside of the elastic body portion 3 and the outside of the elastic body portion 3, and is used to fill the hollow portion 4 with a filler (described later). . The slit 5 extends in the minor axis direction on the upper surface of the elastic body portion 3. When filling the hollow portion 4 with a filler, the slit 5 is deformed by, for example, picking the elastic body portion 3 with a finger and applying an external force, and the gap 5 is widened to fill the filler. . In order to adopt such a filling method, the slit 5 having a size that can easily fill the hollow portion 4 with a filler is preferable. It is sufficient that at least one slit 5 is provided in the elastic body portion 3. Two or more slits 5 may be provided.

The elastic body portion 3 is provided with a hole 6 in addition to the slit 5. The hole 6 communicates the hollow portion 4 that is the inside of the elastic body portion 3 and the outside of the elastic body portion 3. In this embodiment, the hole 6 is formed at the distal end of the elastic body portion 3 in the insertion direction into the oral cavity. positioned.

When the elastic body portion 3 is pressurized during training, the volume of the hollow portion 4 is reduced according to the elastic deformation of the elastic body portion 3. At this time, the filler filled in the hollow portion 4 or its eluate is compressed. Then, it 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. Moreover, in this embodiment, although the shape of the hole 6 is circular, for example, a rectangle may be sufficient and a slit shape may be sufficient.

The grip portion 1 has a prismatic shape, and is integrally formed with the elastic body portion 3 so as to protrude from the base end portion in the long axis direction of the elastic body portion 3 (the end portion on the near side in the insertion direction to the oral cavity). A through hole 1 a is formed in the grip portion 1 in the vertical direction. A finger can be passed through the through hole 1a. Thereby, the holding part 1 can be held firmly.

Threads and strings can also be passed through the through hole 1a. In this case, the training apparatus A can be firmly held by holding the thread or string by hand. The shape of the grip portion 1 is not limited to this, and may be a long and narrow bar as long as it is easy to hold by hand.

Next, the use point of the training apparatus A for oral function configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.

First, as a preparation for training, the hollow portion 4 is filled with a filler. When filling the filling material, as described above, an external force is applied to the elastic body portion 3 to open the slit 5 large. At this time, since the elastic body part 3 is made of an elastic material having a hardness in the above range, it can be easily deformed. After opening the slit 5 largely, for example, a filling material is filled into the hollow portion 4 from the slit 5 using a spoon or the like.

In addition, the filling material may be filled in the hollow portion 4 in advance at the stage of manufacturing the training device A.

As the filler, for example, a solid, which is dissolved by liquid, semi-solid, saliva, etc., and the like that flows out from the hole 6 according to the volume change of the hollow portion 4 after the training device A is inserted into the oral cavity. As long as it is included, semi-solids or solids may be used so that the packing does not flow out of the hollow part 4 before training, such as during transportation of the training device A or before pressurizing the elastic body part 3. It is desirable that

The filling may have a sweetness, but may have a taste other than sweetness. For example, commercially available jelly, jam, cream, pudding, strawberries and the like are preferable.

After filling the filling portion into the hollow portion 4, a person who receives training holds the grip portion 1 and puts the elastic body portion 3 into the oral cavity. The position of the elastic body portion 3 in the oral cavity is a position on the tongue. In this state, the grip portion 1 protrudes out of the oral cavity, and the finger does not slip from the grip portion 1 by inserting the finger into the through hole 1a of the grip portion 1, and the grip portion 1 is moved with a weak force. You can definitely have it.

Moreover, in the position where the elastic body part 3 rests on the tongue, the grip part 1 is located between the upper front tooth and the lower front tooth, and the person who receives the training has the upper front tooth and the lower front tooth. The grip portion 1 may be bitten by. Thereby, since the training instrument A is fixed, the position shift of the training instrument A is suppressed.

And the person who receives training works to push the tongue upward. Then, the elastic body portion 3 is pressed against the palate with the tongue (that is, force is applied from the up and down direction in FIG. 2), so that the elastic body portion 3 is pressed and the volume of the hollow portion 4 is reduced.

Then, the filler or its eluate flows out of the hole 6, and the person who receives the training feels sweetness at this time, so that it can be realized that the training is performed well.

Once the elastic body part 3 is pressed and then the tongue is removed, the elastic body part 3 is restored. At this time, the volume of the hollow portion 4 is expanded, and external saliva or the like enters the hollow portion 4 from the slit 5 or the hole 6. Thereafter, when the operation of pushing the tongue upward again is performed, the filling material, saliva, and the like flow out to the outside as described above. By repeating this operation, oral function training can be performed.

On the other hand, if the elastic body portion 3 is not sufficiently crushed, the volume of the hollow portion 4 is not reduced, and the filling material or its eluate does not flow out. In this case, the person receiving training does not feel sweetness. Therefore, it can be easily understood that the training is not performed well.

As described above, according to the training tool A for oral function according to the present invention, the hollow part 4 is filled with a liquid or solid substance from the slit 5, and the elastic body part 3 is inserted into the oral cavity thereon. By performing intraoral training, the elastic body part 3 is deformed when a force is applied to the elastic body part 3, and the volume of the hollow part 4 is reduced. A filling consisting of any of the solids flows out of the holes 6. Since the degree of training achievement is clearly known in the form of effluent 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.

Therefore, oral function training can be performed effectively. That is, it is possible to effectively perform training for restoring oral functions such as mastication function and swallowing function that have been lowered due to illness and the like, and oral function can be recovered.

If the oral function is restored, food can be taken orally, improving the nutritional status of the patient and increasing QOL. Moreover, maintenance and improvement of oral function are expected by performing training using the training apparatus A for elderly people who are concerned about deterioration of oral function in medical examinations and the like. As a result, troubles caused by aspiration such as aspiration pneumonia can be prevented, leading to a reduction in medical costs.

Also, according to the training device A of the present invention, it is possible to promote the secretion of saliva during training, so that the oral cavity can be kept clean.

Moreover, in the modification 1 shown in FIG. 4, the slit 5 is provided in the insertion direction to the oral cavity in the elastic body part 3. The slits 5 of this modification 1 continuously extend in the circumferential direction from the left side to the right side of the elastic body 3. When filling the filling material, the front end side of the elastic body portion 3 opens so as to open a large opening, so that it becomes easy to fill the filling material. In the first modification, the hole 6 is provided in the upper surface portion of the elastic body portion 3.

Further, in the second modification shown in FIG. 5, five holes 6 are provided. The holes 6 are spaced from each other on the distal end side in the insertion direction of the elastic body portion 3 into the oral cavity. By providing a plurality of holes 6 in this way, the filling material or the like can easily flow out.

In addition, since the force required for deformation can be adjusted by changing the hardness and thickness of the elastic material constituting the elastic body portion 3, it is possible to easily provide a device suitable for the state of oral function of the person receiving training.

The oral function training apparatus A is preferably integrally formed of the same material, so that it is easy to manufacture and inexpensive. In addition, it is also possible to form and combine each part (gripping part 1, elastic body part 3) with different materials, without integrally molding the whole.

When the training apparatus A is integrally formed, especially if silicone rubber or thermoplastic elastomer is used, the entire body is formed of an elastic material, so that it can be used comfortably with a soft feel even when it comes into contact with a living body. it can. Moreover, since these materials are excellent in durability, they can be used repeatedly for training. In the case of repeated use, it is preferable to keep it clean by washing after the training.

When preparing a plurality of types of training apparatus A according to the level of oral function, the force required to deform the elastic body part 3 is adjusted. As a method, the thickness of the elastic body part 3 is adjusted. There is a method of changing the hardness of the elastic material constituting the elastic body portion 3 and a method of changing the hardness of the elastic body portion 3, and an optimum method may be selected as necessary. In some cases, both wall thickness and hardness can be varied. When preparing a plurality of training apparatus A, it is convenient to distinguish each of them by color.

Further, the slits 5 may be provided along the long axis of the elastic body portion 3 and further provided along the short axis so as to cross each other.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the training apparatus A for oral function. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the shape of the grip portion 1 is different from that of the first embodiment and the base shaft portion 8 and the flange portion 9 are provided. Hereinafter, parts different from the first embodiment will be described in detail.

A base shaft portion 8 is provided at the base end portion of the elastic body portion 3. The base shaft portion 8 is provided to connect the elastic body portion 3 and the grip portion 1 and extends in the insertion direction into the oral cavity. Arbitrary things can be employ | adopted for the thickness, length, and shape of the base shaft part 8 according to the objective. The base shaft portion 8 can be used by a person who receives training with the elastic body portion 3 inserted into the oral cavity to fix the training device A by biting with the front teeth. Therefore, the shape of the base shaft portion 8 is preferably a flat plate shape (flat shape) that is easy for a person receiving training to hold it with the front teeth.

Further, a plurality of ribs 81 projecting in a direction perpendicular to the center line of the base shaft portion 8 and extending in the circumferential direction are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the base shaft portion 8. Since the rib 81 is provided, when a person who receives training on the base shaft portion 8 holds the front shaft with the front teeth, the teeth are caught on the rib 81, and the position of the training device A is front and back (insertion direction into the oral cavity). It becomes difficult to slip. The rib 81 may be omitted. The number of ribs 81 can be set arbitrarily. Further, a protrusion or a recess may be provided instead of the rib 81 so that the front teeth are caught.

The position of the elastic body part 3 in the oral cavity can be adjusted by the length of the base shaft part 8. Therefore, the length of the base shaft portion 8 may be selected so that the elastic body portion 3 is at an optimal position in the oral cavity according to the position of the tongue of the person receiving training and the purpose of use of the training device A. *

The eaves part 9 is provided between the grip part 1 and the base shaft part 8, and is intended to prevent accidental swallowing of the training device A during training. That is, it is possible to prevent the grip portion 1 of the training instrument A from entering the oral cavity by the hook portion 9 being caught on the lips or the front teeth. Therefore, it is preferable that the buttocks 9 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 (end portion on the gripping portion 1 side) of the base shaft portion 8. Moreover, since the collar part 9 contacts a lip etc., it is preferable that it is formed with a flexible material. The position, shape, size, thickness, and the like of the collar portion 9 can be arbitrarily selected within a target range.

In the second embodiment, the grip portion 1 has a ring shape so that it can be easily held by a finger. By inserting a finger into the inside of the ring-shaped part, the training apparatus A can be firmly held. In this embodiment, the grip portion 1 has a single ring shape, but a plurality of fingers may be inserted into each ring in a shape in which two or more rings are connected. In addition, the grip portion 1 may have any shape other than the ring shape as long as it can be easily held by hand.

In the second embodiment, the oral function training can be performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

During training, when a person who receives training tries to swallow the elastic body portion 3, the elastic body portion 3 is deformed by the force at that time, and the base shaft portion 8 made of an elastic material is deformed so as to extend. Thereby, since the operation | movement which swallows a bolus can be performed in a pseudo manner, not only the muscles around the tongue and mouth but also the muscles of the throat can be trained.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, since the person who receives the training can perform the training while feeling the taste, the maintenance of motivation can be expected.

In addition, you may externally fit the hard ring 11 which has higher hardness than said elastic material to the base shaft part 8, like the modification shown in FIG. By providing this hard ring 11, even if the base shaft portion 8 is bitten with teeth when the elastic body portion 3 is inserted into the oral cavity, the force can be received by the hard ring 11. That is, since the base shaft portion 8 does not deteriorate, the training instrument A of the present invention can be used repeatedly. The hard ring 11 may be provided with ribs (not shown) in the direction perpendicular to the axis as described above.

As described above, the oral function training device of the present invention can be used for training to restore oral functions such as mastication function and swallowing function that have decreased due to illness. It can also be used when implementing, and the target range is wide.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Gripping part 3 Elastic body part 4 Hollow part 5 Slit 6 Hole 8 Base shaft part 81 Rib 9 Buttocks A Training apparatus

Claims

Comprising a gripping part and an elastic part inserted into the oral cavity;
The elastic body portion has a hollow portion inside, a slit that communicates the hollow portion and the outside, and communicates the hollow portion and the outside, and at least one provided at a position different from the slit An oral function training device comprising two or more holes.
The training device for oral function according to claim 1, wherein the elastic body part is formed of silicone rubber or thermoplastic elastomer.
The training device for oral function according to claim 2, wherein the entire training device is integrally formed of silicone rubber or thermoplastic elastomer.
The oral function function according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hardness of the elastic material forming the elastic body part is in the range of 10 to 50 as measured by a measurement method based on JIS K6253. Training equipment.
The heel part for preventing the swallowing of the training instrument in the oral cavity is provided between the grip part and the elastic body part, according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Oral function training equipment.
The training apparatus for oral function according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a base shaft portion that connects the elastic body portion and the grip portion.
7. 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 externally fitted to the base shaft portion.
The said hollow part is filled with the filler containing what flows out out of a hollow part from the said hole according to the volume change of this hollow part previously, The any one of Claim 1 to 7 characterized by the above-mentioned. Oral function training apparatus as described in 1.