Professor Choi Jongbae of Chosun University Improves Oral Health with "Electrical Stimulation and Gum-Chewing"

Choi Jongbae, Professor of Occupational Therapy at Chosun University.

Chosun University announced on October 16 that a research achievement, with Professor Choi Jongbae of the Department of Occupational Therapy participating as corresponding author, has been published in the September 2025 issue of the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, a leading international journal in the field of oral rehabilitation.

Professor Choi Jongbae's research team demonstrated that combining electrical stimulation therapy with gum-chewing exercises has a significant effect on improving swallowing ability and oral health in the elderly. The study proposes a new rehabilitation therapy that can help reduce medical expenses.

Older adults often experience "sarcopenic dysphagia," where decreased muscle mass leads to reduced chewing strength and saliva secretion. This makes eating and swallowing difficult, resulting in deteriorating health. However, simply performing gum-chewing exercises in daily life has shown limited improvement.

To address this, the research team developed a "rehabilitation therapy combining electrical stimulation with gum-chewing exercises" and compared two groups of 40 participants aged 65 and older: one group performed only gum-chewing exercises, while the other group received electrical stimulation therapy to the masticatory muscles in addition to gum-chewing.

After four weeks, the group that received both therapies showed increases in chewing force, masticatory muscle thickness, and oral mucosal moisture. The improvement was significantly greater than in the group that performed only gum-chewing exercises. The research team attributed these results to electrical stimulation more effectively activating the muscles, thereby strengthening the masticatory muscles and enhancing salivary gland function.

This study is significant in that it presents a customized oral rehabilitation model for older adults that can be easily applied not only in specialized medical facilities but also in community welfare centers and at home. By enabling seniors to manage their own oral health and eat safely, it is expected to help prevent nutritional imbalances and disease progression, as well as reduce the burden of caregiving.

Professor Choi stated, "Combining gum-chewing with electrical stimulation therapy is a simple yet effective rehabilitation method. It can help ensure safe eating and oral health for the elderly, while also contributing to improved quality of life and reduced medical expenses."

Meanwhile, Chosun University plans to actively disseminate these research findings in local senior health promotion programs and occupational therapy clinical education, supporting real improvements in the quality of life for the elderly.