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Impact of Oral and Swallowing Function on the Feeding Status of Older Adults in Nursing Homes

Background: To date, there have been few guidelines proposed for adjustment of the food consistency, particularly to match the oral function of older adults, which will guide clinicians and caregivers in appropriately modifying food. Objective: We investigated how oral, swallowing, and cognitive conditions of older adults who required daily nursing care in a nursing home were associated with different dietary food consistencies. Methods: Clinical examinations to record dentition status, swallowing, and cognitive functions were performed, and the feeding status, including the food consistencies and need for assistance at lunchtime, was evaluated in 37 older residents in nursing homes. The swallowing function was assessed by performing a modified water-swallowing test, and food swallowing was tested using pudding and rice crackers. The χ2 test was used to determine the relationships among the parameters. Results: No participants were able to take cooked rice, nor regular and soft side dishes. There was no significant relationship between dentition status and feeding status. Of the participants, 95% ate pudding without any problems and 49% ate rice crackers without any signs of swallowing difficulty such as coughing or stopping chewing. There was a significant relationship between the food test score using a rice cracker and the level of food consistencies, and between the same test score and the level of mealtime assistance, whereby the better the score of the food test using a rice cracker, the better was the level of food consistencies including use of a thickening agent and the better was the level of mealtime assistance. Conclusion: The results strongly suggest that the food test using a rice cracker was associated with the level of food consistency and mealtime assistance for older adults in nursing homes.