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  3. Support “Eating from mouth”

Support
“Eating from
mouth”

It is known that eating food gives us not only energy but also joy and mental stability while tasting and smelling foods. JMS supports people in eating from mouth so that they can feel the pleasure of life by enjoying their meals for long.

Mission.1

Find out the causes of
swallowing problems

  • Swallowing difficulty may occur anytime when people get old.

    Besides dysphagia caused by after-effects of diseases, such as stroke, swallowing difficulty may occur due to aging even without no serious illness. In fact, 24% of people aged 70 years or older have difficulty in swallowing.

  • Reduction in physical function and social interactions caused by deterioration of oral function

    Deterioration of oral function is a factor in frailty: it makes swallowing difficult, causes poor nutrition and leads to a weakened immune system. It may affect social interactions, such as fewer opportunities to go out due to decreased physical strength. Thus, we could say that recovery of oral function is an important and primary matter for the improvement of our quality of life.

  • 食べる際に重要な器官,歯,唇,口蓋,舌,喉頭蓋
    噛む力だけではない食べるチカラの解明へ

    How can we improve swallowing difficulty? Dentition had long been considered the major factor. Indeed, the ability of chewing greatly affects eating. However, some people complain swallowing difficulty even though they have no problem with chewing ability. In such case, it was not clear what should be done in the treatment of various oral functions.

JMS Idea

Teeth are not the only organ necessary for eating.JMS started development of devices focusing on the relevancy between tongue strength and swallowing function.

Some people have difficulty in swallowing regardless of their level of chewing strength. Thus, JMS focused on the strength of the tongue, that is, tongue pressure. In cooperation with a university’s faculty of dentistry, the company developed for the first time in Japan a tongue pressure measuring device displaying values quantitatively and a device for training tongue pressure. In measurement of tongue pressure, those with decreased chewing power showed values lower than those of healthy people. At academic conferences, there has been much discussion on the results, and now standard values of tongue pressure is established.

Product

  • Tongue pressure measuring device

    Measured values of tongue pressure are indicators of oral function tests regarding ingesting/swallowing function and articulation function. JMS’s tongue pressure measuring device is used at medical institutions all over Japan and is used for diagnoses and rehabilitation.

  • Tongue pressure training device

    It trains the tongue pressure strength by squashing the tip of the device with the tongue. For recovery and prevention of decreased tongue pressure, the device can be also used at home. Several levels of hardness are lined up depending on the condition of the user.

For further information on oral function, click here.