Mar 03 2021

The research group of Associate Professor Issei Saitoh of the Division of Pediatric Dentistry, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Science, conducted a nationwide large-scale epidemiological survey on an incompetent lip seal (ILS) for the first time in Japan in collaboration with Professor Yasutaka Kaihara of the Department of Dental Hygiene, Ogaki Women’s College and Lecturer Emi Inada of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, with the support of the Japanese Society of Practitioners for Pediatric Dentistry (JSPP), revealing the prevalence of ILS in children. The results of the survey were published in the international academic journal Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine on January 21, 2021 (UK time).

Key results of the research

- A large-scale epidemiological survey for the first time throughout Japan was conducted on the prevalence of ILS in children.
- The research group demonstrated an overall ILS prevalence of 30.7% throughout Japan.
- There were no regional differences in the rate of ILS in Japanese children.
- The ILS rate of children increased with age.
- Twelve of 44 survey items exhibited a statistically significant correlation with ILS.
- This disorder may not self-correct during the growth periods in these children.

Publication Details

Title: Prevalence of an incompetent lip seal during growth periods throughout Japan: a large-scale, survey-based, cross-sectional study
Journal: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine
Authors: Yukiko Nogami, Issei Saitoh, Emi Inada, Daisuke Murakami, Yoko Iwase, Naoko Kubota, Yuki Nakamura, Masami Kimi, Haruaki Hayasaki, Youichi Yamasaki, Yasutaka Kaihara
DOI: 10.1186/s12199-021-00933-5