食事認知に伴う唾液分泌測定の有用性の検証—高齢者と若者を対象に

Verification of The Usefulness of Salivary Secretion Measurement Associated with Food Perception: Targeting The Elderly and Young People

要旨

　目的：口腔粘膜の乾燥状態を測定する器具である口腔水分計は，食事認知に伴う唾液分泌測定に有用なのかどうかを検証した．

　方法：65歳以上の男女10名と20代の男女10名を対象に口腔水分計を使用し，食品刺激前と後（プリン，白飯をそれぞれ目の前，口元に持っていく）で口腔内乾燥度に差が生じるのかを調査，分析した．

　結果：食品刺激の前後で口腔内乾燥度に有意差があった．高齢者で有意差はなかったが，若者ではプリン口元，白飯目の前で有意差を認めた．

　結論：プリンは口元まで持っていかないとにおわない，白飯は目の前に置いた時点でにおうことを鑑みると，食品の香りが食事認知に伴う唾液分泌に影響していることが示唆された．高齢者では有意差は出なかったが，食事認知に伴う唾液分泌の変化を捉える器具として口腔水分計が有用である可能性が示唆された．

　Objective: To determine whether the Oral Moisture Checker for Mucus^®, a device that measures dryness of the oral mucosa, is useful for measuring salivation associated with food perception.

　Methods: Presence of a difference in mouth dryness after food stimulation using pudding and rice, which were each placed before the subject's eyes and near his or her mouth, was examined using an oral moisture meter in 10 healthy men and women aged 65 years or older and 10 healthy men and women in their 20s. The data were then analyzed.

　Results: There was a significant difference in the dryness of the mouth before and after food stimulation. Although there was no significant difference among the elderly, In the young subjects, a significant difference in mouth dryness was seen between before and after food stimulation when pudding was brought near the subject's mouth and rice was placed in front of his or her eyes.

　Conclusion: In view of the fact that the subjects did not smell the pudding unless it was brought near their mouth and smelled the rice the moment it was placed before their eyes, the results suggested that the smell of food affected salivation associated with food perception. Although no significant difference before and after food stimulation was seen for the elderly subjects, suggesting that the oral moisture meter may be a useful device for determining changes in salivation associated with food perception.