Effects of Food Containing Aroma Compounds on Oral Hygiene A Preliminary Pilot Clinical Study in Elderly People Requiring Care

Objectives：Aspiration pneumonia occurs when food and saliva enter the trachea and lungs along with the bacteria in the mouth owing to decreasing swallowing function because of aging. It has been reported that an aroma compound complex containing cinnamon powder, low molecular weight lychee‒derived polyphenol, fatty acid, citral, and salmon eggplant extract improves the oral hygiene. The purpose of this study was to develop an aroma compound complex‒containing gel（aroma gel）that is safe for use in elderly people requiring care, and to clarify the effect of aroma gel in improving the oral hygiene of elderly people requiring care. Methods：The subjects were care‒dependent elderly people residing in elderly care nursing homes. Aroma gel was ingested twice a day for 1 month. Parameters like the number of oral bacteria, opportunistic infections, and bad breath were measured and recorded at the start, as well as over the duration of the treatment. Results：Upon analyzing data of 48 elderly people requiring care who completed 4 weeks of aroma gel ingestion, it was observed that the number of oral bacteria significantly decreased after 2 weeks compared with before the intake, and persisted until 4 weeks. However, no significant changes were observed regarding the other endpoints, but some elderly people had improvement in bad breath. Conclusions：The newly developed aroma gel was determined to be useful in improving the oral hygiene of elderly people requiring care.