7　摂食機能療法の最前線

Summary 　Eating function therapy, which has been developed as healthcare for the elderly, is increasingly required. In the 2010 Medical Fee Revision, a palatal augmentation prosthesis, which is an intraoral device to support tongue function, was approved as a device to support feeding/swallowing function. In addition, videofluoroscopy and videoendoscopic evaluation were approved for the diagnosis of feeding/swallowing dysfunction. In the elderly requiring long-term care, it has been found that there is a relationship between tongue pressure, which is an index of tongue function, and nutritional status/age, and a relationship between tongue thickness, which indicates the muscle mass of the tongue, and feeding/swallowing function or the level of care required. In order to evaluate tongue function, which plays an important role in feeding/swallowing function, a tongue pressure measurement system (JMS Co. Ltd., Hiroshima) was developed and approved as a medical device in 2010. It is expected that the system will be widely used in clinical settings and research.