Smartphone‐based combined oral and whole‐body exercise programme aimed at improving oral functions: A randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of a smartphone-based oral and whole-body exercise programme on oral function in older adults. METHODS: Individuals aged 65 years or above were randomized into three groups (non-app use, app use and control group), and a combined oral and whole-body exercise programme was conducted for 5 weeks. Oral muscle strength, saliva flow rate, Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14), and Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) were measured before and after the intervention. The changes in each group were analysed at the end of the programme using paired sample t-tests, and the differences among the groups were analysed using the chi-square test, Fisher's exact test and ANOVA. RESULTS: The anterior tongue strength increased by 2.80 kPa after the intervention in the non-app use group; however, the change was not statistically significant. In the app use group, the anterior tongue strength significantly increased by 4.48 kPa. The saliva flow rate increased by 0.54 and 0.71 g/min in the non-app and app use groups, respectively, after the intervention (p < 0.05), and the change was greater in the app use group than in the other groups (p < 0.01). There were no significant changes in the posterior tongue strength, cheek strength, OHIP-14 or GOHAI scores over the course of the study. CONCLUSIONS: A smartphone-based combined oral and whole-body exercise programme can improve anterior tongue strength and saliva flow rate in older participants. The programme, however, did not result in significant changes in posterior tongue strength, cheek strength and perceived oral health.