Effect of Nutritional Guidance on Oral Function in Patients Visiting a General Dental Clinic: A Preliminary Study

Sep 30, 2026

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Non-randomized, self-selected controlled intervention study evaluating whether simple nutritional guidance by registered dietitians improves oral function and body composition in patients attending a general dental clinic in Japan. Adults aged 50+ were assigned to a guidance group receiving monthly guidance or a non-guidance group. Oral moisture, masticatory performance, tongue/lip motor function, maximum tongue pressure, swallowing function, and 10 body composition parameters were assessed at baseline and after 3 months. Results showed time effects and group–time interaction for oral function only, with improved mastication, tongue pressure, and swallowing, alongside greater dietary variety and intake in the guidance group.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Oral function decline and aging context

Nutritional intake, malnutrition, and frailty cycle

Prior interventions and the research gap

Role of general dental clinics and nutritional guidance

Article Effect of Nutritional Guidance on Oral Function in Patients Visiting a General Dental Clinic: A Preliminary Study Kazuki Makita, Takahiro Ono *, Akiyo Kawamoto * and Kazuya Takahashi Academic Editor: Henk S. Brand Received: 16 November 2025 Revised: 13 December 2025 Accepted: 16 December 2025 Published: 19 December 2025 Copyright: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Department of Geriatric Dentistry, Osaka Dental University, Osaka 540-0008, Japan; [makita-k@cc.osaka-dent.ac.jp](makita-k@cc.osaka-dent.ac.jp) (K.M.); [kazuya-t@cc.osaka-dent.ac.jp](kazuya-t@cc.osaka-dent.ac.jp) (K.T.) * Correspondence: [ono-t@cc.osaka-dent.ac.jp](ono-t@cc.osaka-dent.ac.jp) (T.O.); [akiyo-k@cc.osaka-dent.ac.jp](akiyo-k@cc.osaka-dent.ac.jp) (A.K.) Abstract Objectives: This non-randomized and self-selected controlled intervention study aimed to examine the effects of simple nutritional guidance provided by registered dietitians on the oral function and body composition of patients in a general dental clinic in Japan. Methods: Among patients aged ≥50 years who visited a single dental clinic for regular maintenance, those who accepted and declined nutritional guidance were classified as being in the “guidance group (G group)” and “nonguidance group (nG group)”, respectively. The oral moisture content, masticatory performance, tongue/lip motor function, maximum tongue pressure, and swallowing function were assessed. Additionally, we assessed 10 body composition parameters using a body composition analyzer. Patients in the G group received monthly nutritional guidance from a registered dietician. At 3 months, changes in oral function and body composition were examined and between-group comparison in changes in dietary habits was performed. Results: A two-way analysis of variance revealed a main effect of time and an interaction between time and group for oral function only, and improvements in masticatory performance scores, maximum tongue pressure, and swallowing function were observed in the G group (n = 20). Compared with the nG group (n = 18), the G group hada significantly higher proportion of participants with a reported increase in the variety and amount of consumed food. Conclusions: Although this is the preliminary trial with a small sample and high risk biases, our findings suggest the possibility that 3 months of nutritional guidance at a general dental clinic in Japan may improve oral function. Keywords: nutrition; oral; function; body composition; dental clinics; mastication 1. Introduction With the rapid aging of the Japanese population, there has been increasing attention on the impact of declining oral function on overall health and quality of life [1–5] . Accordingly, early interventions for maintaining and improving oral function from middle age onwards have become increasingly important. Against this backdrop, the disease concept of “oral hypofunction syndrome” [6] was included in health insurance coverage in 2018, with the target age group being reduced from ≥65 years to ≥50 years in 2022 [7,8] . In order to maximize the effectiveness of these policies, it is necessary to systematically and interactively analyze how oral function is related to nutritional intake, lifestyle-related diseases, and frailty, and to develop possible countermeasures. There is a reciprocal relationship between oral function and nutritional status [9] . Several factors contribute to reduced chewing ability, including decreased number of teeth, reduced occlusal support in the molar region, decreased biting force, periodontal disease [10] . Reduced chewing ability leads to the avoidance of foods that are difficult to chew, which narrows the range of food choices and decreases dietary diversity [11] . Accordingly, there is a decreased intake of vegetables, fish, and

FAQs

What is the study’s primary objective?

To examine how simple nutritional guidance by registered dietitians affects oral function and body composition in patients visiting a general dental clinic in Japan.

Who participated and how were they grouped?

Patients aged 50 or older who visited a single dental clinic for regular maintenance were classified into a guidance group (accepted guidance) and a non-guidance group (declined guidance).

What oral outcomes improved after nutritional guidance?

After 3 months, the guidance group showed improvements in masticatory performance scores, maximum tongue pressure, and swallowing function, along with greater dietary variety and amount of food consumed.

Sep 30, 2026

Upload by jay