Effect of Oral Function Training on Oral Diadokokinesis

Methods: The participants were 13 independent volunteers (2 male and 11 female) aged between 65 and 87 years, and 15 healthy volunteers (7 male and 8 female) aged between 22 and 36 years. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. A measurement tool for quantitatively detecting lip movements consists a magnetic induction coil, a sensing coil and a circuit unit. The participant conducted articulations with two magnetic sensor coils attached to upper and lower lips. The participant were asked to articulate the /pa/ syllable clearly, correctly and continuously for 10 seconds. The measurements were repeated 5 times for the /pa/ syllable articulation. The same procedure was repeated for the sequence /pataka/ articulation. The articulation of /pa/ and /pataka/ was measured before and after a 4-week training of oral function. The training consisted of practices in articulation, movements of lips, cheeks and tongue, and deep breaths.

Results: The mean values of the youth and the elderly for /pa/ were 63.9, 61.1 before the training and 66.2, 61.8 after the training, respectively. There was a significant difference in the youth between before the training and after the training. The mean values of the youth and the elderly for /pataka/ were 23.5, 20.5 before the training and 27.4, 23.8 after the training, respectively.  There were significant differences in both the youth and the elderly between before the training and after the training.

Conclusion: The sequence /pataka/ articulation was improved by the oral function training. The sequence /pataka/ articulation may be an analytical indicator.