| ORIGINAL RESEARCH |
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| Year : 2022 | Volume
: 14
| Issue : 4 | Page : 363-369 |
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Effectiveness of oral exercise programs on oral function among independent elderly people: A cluster randomized controlled trial
Suphak Wongworasun1, Jaranya Hunsrisakhun2, Achara Watanapa2
1 Residency Training Program in Dental Public Health, Faculty of Dentistry, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand
2 Improvement of Oral Health Care Research Unit, Department of Preventive Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Jaranya Hunsrisakhun
Improvement of Oral Health Care Research Unit, Department of Preventive Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90110
Thailand
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/JIOH.JIOH_47_22
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Aims: To compare the effectiveness of two oral exercise programs on oral function among independent elderly people. Materials and Methods: This was a cluster randomized controlled trial study conducted among 60–74 years old in Chonburi Province, Thailand. Participants in six senior schools were randomly allocated to one of two groups: the intervention group (n = 123) received a simple oral exercise program of 2 min/session (SOE) and the control group (n = 121) received a traditional oral exercise program of 15 min/session (TOE). They were required to practice twice daily. The baseline and 3-month follow-up oral function assessments included chewing ability, dry mouth status, Unstimulated Whole Saliva (UWS), dysphagia, and the Repetitive Saliva Swallowing Test (RSST). Paired t test and independent t test were used to compare the outcome variables within and across the two groups, respectively. Results: At the 3-month follow-up, the SOE group significantly improved in chewing ability and UWS, whereas in the TOE group, there was a significant improvement in UWS and RSST. Comparing oral function mean differences between groups, RSST in the TOE group was significantly greater than in the SOE group (P < 0.05) but there were no differences in chewing ability, dry mouth status, UWS, or dysphagia. Conclusion: Both oral exercise programs were similarly beneficial in enhancing elderly oral function in terms of UWS. TOE outperformed SOE in terms of improving swallowing function. The other oral function had a chance to improve in both programs. |
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