Developmental oral function disorders affect 25% of children

Professor Manabu Kanazawa and Junior Associate Professor Yohei Hama at the Department of Gerodontology and Oral Rehabilitation, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Science Tokyo, and Jun Kawamura at the Kamukoto Research Department, Central Research Laboratory, Lotte, along with their research team, announced on August 4 that surveying community-dwelling children aged 5 to 7 revealed that approximately 1 in 4 children falls under "developmental insufficiency of oral function (DIOF)." It was also found that prevalence is low in children who prefer hard foods. In healthy oral function development of children, not only dietary balance but also food texture may be important. The findings were published in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation.

Against the background of increasing frequency in consuming soft foods in recent years, an increase in children with DIOF, whose oral functions such as eating, swallowing, and speaking are insufficiently developed, is feared. DIOF is a state where although there are no problems in feeding function, functional developmental insufficiency or functional acquisition failure in "eating function" and "speaking function" occurs. Currently, rehabilitation for this functional acquisition is covered by health insurance.

Delays in acquiring normal oral functions are considered to influence tooth alignment, occlusion, and physical development. On the other hand, prevalence in the general child population and associations with dietary habits were unclear. Regarding prevalence of DIOF in children, there is a report of approximately 40% in a survey conducted at a nursery school, but in contrast, it was several percent in a survey by dental clinics. Reasons for this difference were also unclear.

In response, the research group utilized data from the "Survey Research on Masticatory Ability and Dietary Habits Targeting All Generations" conducted by the university in 2023. They analyzed 92 community-dwelling children aged 5 to 7 not limited to clinic visitors.

As a result, it was clarified that 21 out of 92 children (approximately 23%) fall under DIOF. There was no association with frequency of food intake. Diagnosis was conducted by dentists based on criteria. In addition, they analyzed associations with dietary habits. It was also found that children who prefer hard foods have low prevalence of DIOF. There is a possibility that this will be useful for improving dietary education conducted in elementary schools.

Going forward, by advancing long-term follow-up surveys, surveys of junior high and high school students, and verification of intervention effects, they aim to build scientific evidence supporting healthy development of oral functions from childhood.

Journal Information
Publication: Journal of Oral Rehabilitation
Title: Evaluation of Oral Function Development and Eating Habits in Children Aged 5-7 Years
DOI: 10.1111/joor.70213