Indications are that Japan is growing old at a faster pace than in any other nation. In 1993, people aged 65 years and over accounted for 13.5% of the nation's population, and in Nagano Prefecture the rate stood at 17.9%, far higher than the national average. In our district, Minamisaku, it was 22.0%, greater than the prefectural average. As aging goes on at a rapid clip, the number of the bed-ridden is on the upswing.
The Saku Central Hospital has instituted a system of home-visit health care since 1988 with the Department of Internal Medicine playing a pivotal role. The Department of Dentistry and Oral Surgery has also commenced a home-visit dental care program since 1990
The patients to whom home-visit care is delivered have a variety of basic diseases. The attention has focused on their treatment. In many cases, their indifference to oral hygiene was responsible for the ailments. Since the mouth is an inlet for bacteria and other pathogenic microorganisms, it is important to keep the mouth clean so as to prevent the deterioration of basic diseases. That biting may be done with dentures and other prosthetic devices suggests a feasibility of improving quality of life and working for a better health? Because some reports argue that chewing stimulates the brain, thus helpful in preventing senile psychosis, and because eating is one of the pleasures for the bedridden, the role played by us, dentists, is large. Here we report the present status of home-visit dental care delivered by our department from 1990 to 1995

Objective : To evaluate the effect of heat and steam generating sheets on osteoarthritis of the knee. Methods : Subjects with osteoarthritis of the knee (n=41) were randomized into 2 groups : a heat and steam generating sheet group or a heat generating sheet group. Functional impairment [Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and Japan Orthopaedic Association score (JOA score)] in the index knee were measured at baseline and then again after 2 and 4 weeks of wear. Results : At both the 2 and 4 week patient evaluations, the heat and steam generating sheet group showed improved total WOMAC scores. Although the heat generating sheet groups' WOMAC scores were improved after 2 weeks, the difference between the 2 and 4 week evaluations was not statistically significant. As for individual WOMAC scores, patients in the heat and steam generating sheet group especially demonstrated a highly significant decrease in WOMAC stiffness score. In comparison, patients in the heat generating sheet group showed no improvement in WOMAC stiffness score. Gait ability improvement, as measured by JOA score, showed similar results for both groups. Conclusion : This study showed that using heat and steam generating sheets decreased pain and stiffness, and increased gait ability in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Indications are that Japan is growing old at a faster pace than in any other nation. In 1993, people aged 65 years and over accounted for 13.5% of the nation's population, and in Nagano Prefecture the rate stood at 17.9%, far higher than the national average. In our district, Minamisaku, it was 22.0%, greater than the prefectural average. As aging goes on at a rapid clip, the number of the bed-ridden is on the upswing. The Saku Central Hospital has instituted a system of home-visit health care since 1988 with the Department of Internal Medicine playing a pivotal role. The Department of Dentistry and Oral Surgery has also commenced a home-visit dental care program since 1990 The patients to whom home-visit care is delivered have a variety of basic diseases. The attention has focused on their treatment. In many cases, their indifference to oral hygiene was responsible for the ailments. Since the mouth is an inlet for bacteria and other pathogenic microorganisms, it is important to keep the mouth clean so as to prevent the deterioration of basic diseases. That biting may be done with dentures and other prosthetic devices suggests a feasibility of improving quality of life and working for a better health? Because some reports argue that chewing stimulates the brain, thus helpful in preventing senile psychosis, and because eating is one of the pleasures for the bedridden, the role played by us, dentists, is large. Here we report the present status of home-visit dental care delivered by our department from 1990 to 1995